Change of Heart
by DreamWeaver02
Summary: **a lost girl, 5 retired gundam pilots, old friends, and a new war led by psychos** Chapter 13: “Heero, leave me alone! I don’t want to talk to you.”
1. Who is she? I don't know

**CHANGE OF HEART**

****

Chapter 1: "Who is she?" "I don't know…"

Darkness. Why was it so dark? It wasn't just the sight… it was the mind. All this girl could feel around her was the darkness and the cold. Where was she? Who was she? She opened her eyes. On a beach. She was on a beach. But where was she? She tried to think back and remember… but nothing came to mind. All she could remember was the heat, the pain, and a bright flash of light. The pain most vivid to her still, since her body ached from the icy, salty waters. Her attempt in breaking down the mental barrier caused her a sudden headache, and she threw her hands to her head. She shut her eyes and willed the throbbing pain to go away. It took a moment, but the pain subsided to a subconscious hum. She opened her eyes again, staring at her bare feet where the dark waters lapped, beckoning her to return. She stepped away clumsily. Why couldn't she remember? It shouldn't be too hard… just think back… to… to nothing. Amnesia. She had amnesia. "Why?" she whispered, her voice harsh and her mouth dry with ocean salt and sand. "Who am I?" She looked up; hoping something in her surroundings might spark her interest. No. There was nothing. All that graced her was the skyline against a dark blue sky, while the sun set behind her. It was the icy wind that made her move from her prone stance.

She stepped forward, slipping in the sand until she finally reached the sidewalk. She walked along the streets, afraid of the people who passed her. Some glared at her scornfully, others with confused expressions. When she found a park, she saw a nice looking man in a suit, looking through a book. She walked up to him cautiously. Immediately, before he looked up, he said, "I have no money for you. Why don't you go to the shelter like all the other bums?"

Taken aback, her jaw dropped. She looked down at herself, and sighed quietly. Then, as she pulled her thin sweater over her, she replied, "I'm sorry to disturb you sir, but I'm not looking for money. I would just like to know where I am."

He peered at her over the top of his book, looking her up and down. "Are you one of those drunks??"

"No, sir. I… I woke up on the beach. I don't know where this is… please… I'd just like to know where this is."

He paused for a moment, and then answered, "This is Fort George, Quebec. You know, in Canada?" He pointed in the direction of the ocean. "That's the Hudson Bay. Are you lost? Did someone kidnap you?"

"I am lost." she replied.

"Do you want me to take you to the police?" The man had put away his book. He took of his glasses and peered at her, standing up. He was tall, much taller than her.

"No… that…. That won't do any good…" she replied. "I don't know what I'd say… um, thank you." She turned to walk away.

"Hey girl!" he called. She turned around cautiously. "What's your name?"

"My name??" She paused for a minute. "Blaze." This time, she held her head up, and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes were blue, a sharp azure blue, which seemed to pierce through the early night.

He nodded. "Hm… I see." He pulled out his wallet. "Here… uh… Blaze…. Go find yourself a place to stay."

She peered at him testily, and then took the money. Why refuse it?? "Thank you." She turned to walk away.

He stopped her again. "Your name's not really Blaze, is it?"

She spun around. "I'm not sure. But as far as I'm concerned, it is now."

He chuckled. "It suits you. Now get out of here! You're too young to be wandering bare foot and in your condition at night."

She found a cheap motel, and paid the clerk. It was just enough for a night. As she went into her rather unadorned room, she slumped to the floor. She stared at the poor carpeting, then at her hands. There were a few scars on her arms. She frowned, and went into the bathroom. She immediately peeled off her clothes and took a quick shower. Once she got out, she looked her bare self over in the mirror. There were quit a few scars on her body as well. Not enough to make her look unattractive, but definitely plenty to show that she did something very active before for a living. She felt a rather peculiar round one on her right shoulder. She turned around and arched her neck to see her back, and the same scar was on the back of the right shoulder. A bullet wound? She couldn't think of anything else. Her eyes widened. How can that be?? She peered at her face and checked her skin. She backed away. "I can't be that much older than early twenties… maybe the very end of my teens!!… who was I??"

(A PREVENTER BASE):

Duo walked out onto the beach and looked back at their temporary living quarters. They were brought together and told to stay alert, since tension was building up once and again. They had to have a place to stay and a place to put their gundams. They were able to find a good Preventer base, with some basic connections. Wufei and Sally were one… Howard was another. Howard had recently become a member of the Preventers, helping out with the mechanics. He stayed at a base if Fort George, along the coast of the Hudson Bay. It was the best protection they could possibly get.

They were each called together through e-mail and they were all given the same basic info, nothing more nothing less. It reminded Duo of when he had recited the same exact message with Quatre during Operation Meteor. Back then there was a strong lack of unity and it had put a large strain in everything. Not now. Now, they had known each other for a long period of time, and they were pretty much family (even if a minor few didn't want to admit it). This was particularly good now though, considering it was only a mere five 18-19 year old guys against the whole entire world (and then some) with a very small amount of support.

He turned his gaze back to the sea. A chilling salty breeze swept over him, and he tried to find comfort in his large black jacket. "Better get inside…" he said to himself. "No point in the great Shinigami being put out of commission by a measly cold virus!"

He walked back into the main hangar, and trudged back to where their private kitchen was. Heero and Wufei, but mostly Wufei demanded personal space. He was, after all, the 'Solitary Dragon.' He wanted no part with anyone else who worked at the repair base. Privacy was all he requested. Oh, and a bit of justice, but… heh, heh… that's another story. Since Wufei was one of the Preventers, and a higher rank than most men in the base, it was easy to get his way. Especially with that katana of his…

Duo peeked through the small window on the door that led into their dining room/kitchen, and noticed Quatre cooking hamburgers for everyone. He knew, only by common sense and basic fact, that Quatre was the only good cook out of the five. Without him it would be take out every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After 10 p.m. there's no delivery, and they'd all starve.

Duo quietly opened the door, and crept up behind Quatre.

"Quatre the Chef… sorta has a nice ring to it, dontcha think??" Duo asked, interrupting Quatre in the middle of a hamburger flip.

Quatre missed the hamburger, which landed on the side of the pan and slipped to the floor. He glared at Duo with his sweet aqua eyes. It didn't work that well, since Quatre wasn't that upset, and he was too cute to look really mad or evil… except for that time in the Zero System. But… heh, heh… that is another story.

"Not really." Quatre admitted. "Quite honestly, I hate cooking. But I seem to be the only one who's good at it, except for maybe Trowa. Wufei never cooks it all the way. He gets too impatient. Heero…?" Quatre shuddered and said no more. "Basically, I don't trust anyone." He threw away the hamburger patty. "By the way that was yours."

"You're gonna make me starve??" Duo gave him his puppy dog eyes.

"No, Duo, that face won't save you this time. You made yourself starve by making me drop the hamburger!" Quatre replied. The he sighed. "Don't worry, I'll make extra like always…" 

Duo gave him a large pat on the back. "A true friend!" Then he paused. "By the way, you skipped me… don't you trust me to cook?"

Quatre laughed and shook his head. Duo pouted but Quatre simply said, "I have good reason. If anything, it's you who made me think that. Don't forget of the… mayonnaise and peanut butter sandwiches…"

Duo nodded. "Yeah… I'll admit that was pretty bad…"

"And the time you made simores using those chocolate laxatives…"

"Ooh, don't remind me…"

"And the time that you-"

"Ok! Ok! I get the point! Yeesh…" Duo left quickly before Quatre could pin him with anything else. Duo went to go search and bother some of his rather tolerant buddies. The first one he came across was none other than Heero. He was busy checking the wiring in his cockpit. He jumped up onto his friend's gundam, and peered inside. "Hey Heero, what's up?"

"Leave me alone."

"Nice to see you too…" Duo shrugged and started to walk off.

Suddenly there was a metal bang, followed quickly by the sound of dishes breaking and boxes falling. One of the base's chefs was yelling at the top of his lungs, though his words were muffled through the wall. Suddenly, he shouting became very clear when the door opened and a girl ran out of the double doors to the cafeteria. "HEY!!!!" A string of foul language followed this one word. She ran quickly, her steps light, with a black bag slung over her back. In her mouth was a French roll.

Heero was up in a flash, his box of tools falling of his gundam in an air-shattering racket that left people's ears ringing. He jumped off his gundam, and in a matter of seconds he was in hot pursuit. She was swift, but he was much faster than her, and landed on her quickly. They both fell to the floor, Heero on top. He twisted her arm behind her back, and she clenched her teeth in pain.

"Let go of the bag," he demanded.

She let go quickly, and he turned her over onto her back. He pinned her arms down. He glared icy daggers at her. She glared back. "Alright, you've got me! Now can you let me get up??"

"No." he replied simply.

Duo approached. "Heero, get off of her. She's not going anywhere." He looked her up and down, noticing how skinny she was.

Heero obeyed, and pulled her up. He kept a hold on her arm, though. His other hand held his gun to her. She looked at the barrel of his 45 auto, and became very still. People started surrounding them, the gundam pilots already at their side.

"You'll have to excuse him. He's a guy, so if he gets the chance to straddle a hot chick, he will." Duo joked. Heero was about to lunge at him, but Quatre held him back. A low growl escaped his throat.

"If that should be taken as a compliment to myself, then you need some work." she snapped.

"Geez, no one can take a joke these days!" Duo said defensively.

They were interrupted when the leader of the base, Mr. Cavell, reached the center of the very large circle of Preventers and pilots. "What's going on here?"

"This girl was caught stealing food from the base." Duo explained.

"She could be here for more than one reason…" Heero reminded, his finger cocking the gun.

"First off Heero, before you make any rash decisions, put the gun away. Thank you. Now. Are you suggesting she's a spy?" Cavell asked him curiously.

"It's a possibility." Heero replied cynically. He tightened his grip on her arm, and she flinched slightly.

"Why would I be a spy??" she asked with disbelief. "Notice the food I was leaving with?"

"It could have been a set up to leave the base…" Quatre suggested.

"And a poor one at that…" Wufei added.

"He's right!" she said, pointing to Wufei. "Why would I want to leave this base with you guys on my tail, if I'm a spy?"

"It'd be hard to get out." Duo suggested.

"I got in, didn't I?" she said, glaring at him with her azure blue eyes. "I'm sure I could get out just as easily."

"Then why didn't you?" Heero asked.

"The bag was too big to fit into the air shafts." she shrugged.

Cavell narrowed his eyes at her and stroked his black beard. "What's your name, girl?"

"Blaze." she looked at her hands. Heero glared at her even harsher, and subconsciously tightened his grip. She pulled away slightly, but he held fast. 

"Do you have to hold onto me so hard??" Heero looked at his hand and noticed the white around his grip. He loosened his hold. But only a little. She shifted slightly, feeling very uncomfortable under his stare.

"You." Cavell pointed at her. "In my office, right now! Everyone else, get back to work. Sorry guys, but I want to speak to her alone," he added to the pilots.

As they left, Quatre asked, "Who is she?"

"I don't know." Trowa replied quietly.

"Well I think she's innocent." Duo said.

"Are you blind Maxwell?" Wufei nearly shouted. Heero stood next to him, obviously choosing his side.

"Are you??" Duo responded. "Did you see her? Did you see how skinny she is? She's malnourished. She doesn't get food on a daily basis. She's obviously living on the streets."

"Do you know her?" Heero asked.

"No, but-"

"Neither do any of us. That gives us every right to be suspicious." Heero said. Duo sighed in defeat. It was pointless to try to convince the two of them at the same time.

Once the two got inside, he graced her with a string of questions. "Well, Blaze… that's quite an unusual name you have."

"I've heard that it suits me." she replied.

"Yes… it makes a fine code name…." he walked to his black leather seat.

"It's not." she replied simply.

"Alright then… where are you from?" he asked. She fell silent and didn't reply. He slammed his fist on the desk. "I asked you a question!"

"I don't know!!" she shouted. "I woke up on the beach, alright? I don't know where I'm from, and I don't know who I am. Thank you very much for prying into something that's very private to me."

"Thank you for breaking into my base!" he countered. "So… you're saying you have amnesia?" She rolled her eyes. "Don't try my patience! You've picked a really bad day to cross my path, young lady. You don't have the slightest hint of the crap that you've gotten yourself into!"

She stopped avoiding his eyes, and looked at him. "It's not like I want to do this," she said. She fiddled with her thumbs. "I've had amnesia for a while… I don't know how long, I don't really keep track of the days. I didn't know who I was, or what I was doing here. I can't get a job, no one will hire me because I can't fill out the job applications." she shrugged. "So, if I have to, I steal."

"So you have no place to stay?"

"No. Sometimes I can get money from people who are just really nice… or I have to ask people for bus fare. A couple times I can get into a really cheap hotel."

He inspected her old clothes, dirty face, and unkempt hair. Then he noticed her eyes. They were blue orbits of pure truth, and they looked directly at him. Then her mood suddenly took a swing.

"I'm pretty proud of myself for getting into a base… I thought this place was a motel… a pretty clever disguise, if you ask me. So I was going to walk to the back, but it was really long. So I climbed up one of the fire escapes and I was on the roof. You guys don't know the view you have from up there do you? So anyways, I found an open vent and that's how I got in." She took a breath. Finally, she concluded, "You guys need to touch up your security if I was able to get in…"

"Thanks for the advice…" he said dryly. "What have you seen?"

"I've seen those special mobile suits, if that's what you're getting at. They're pretty awesome looking. I don't know what type they are though. I was never really good on mobile suits… or at least I don't think I was…" she frowned in thought.

"Alright. I don't want you to get out and tell people what you saw. Because to me, it sounds like you love to gossip. Not to mention I'm requesting payment for what you tried to do. You'll help the cook."

She paused hesitantly then said, "I don't think that's a good idea… I'll be more of a hazard than a help." She smiled sheepishly.

"Then you'll clean." he replied.

She hung her head. "Fine. Not like I have much of a choice anyway… what about rooming?"

"It's all taken care of. Unfortunately for you, there is only one room open, and you'll have a room mate."

"Which would be…?" she prodded.

"Heero." he grinned.

"What?! No. No, no, no, and for the last time NO!!!" she shouted. "You've got to be insane!!"

"Think of it as an additional punishment." he suggested.

"No, this isn't a punishment. This is a death sentence." she replied.

"Well, that's it and that's final. Now I'll send someone to give you your things. Just go up the stairs towards the front. That's the part that is disguised as a motel? You'll know it's the right one when you see two double doors at the end of it, which is a small dining room and kitchen. It's the second room on the right side. You are dismissed." with that at an abrupt end, he turned his seat so his back was to her. She sighed heavily and stood up. She took unwanted steps towards her destination and her doom.


	2. I have a declaration to make

****

Chapter 2: "I have a declaration to make. A declaration of war…"

Blaze found her way to her room from the directions given to her. She dreaded having to face **_him_** again, but what must be done, must be done. She'd rather face Heero as opposed to having to go out on the streets again. When she opened the door, she found herself nose-to-barrel with his gun. She glared at him. "I'm sensing trust issues? Why do you want to shoot me?"

"You're a suspect. I have no idea who you are."

"Oh, so that gives you the right to kill me?" she asked with disbelief.

"In my book it does." his hand didn't waver, and he iced her with his eyes.

"That's an interesting sense of justice, there Heero."

"How do you know my name?"

"I heard them call you that while you were holding onto me. After all, I need to know the name of my new roommate." she smirked.

Heero's eyes widened and his hand wavered and lowered the gun slightly. "What??"

"Please don't make me repeat myself, I hate doing that." She walked into the room and started to make herself at home. Not like there was much to do. She did at least sit on her bed, after moving all of Heero's papers and clothes off of it. "Have you ever considered using the dresser they give you??" she asked.

He ignored her question and asked one of his own. "How did you convince Cavell to let you stay here?"

"I didn't do any convincing, really. I just answered his questions, and then his own pity did the rest."

"Hn. Weak human emotions. I would have killed you immediately." He sat down at his laptop. He had a message from Dr. J.

"I'm sure you would have." she replied. "So… I know your name is Heero…?" she paused.

"Yuy." he finished, as he started typing his response.

"Ah." she commented. "I'm Blaze."

"Blaze…?" he paused as well.

"Yeah. Blaze."

"That's it?"

"Yup."

He stopped typing, and glared at her. "You don't have a last name?"

"If I do, then I sure as hell don't know it…" she replied. "That's why I call myself Blaze."

Heero narrowed his eyes, the turned back to his laptop. "It must have taken you forever to think that one up."

She shot an icy glare at him. "You shouldn't be talking. I believe your name has already been used as well."

Heero stood up and faced her. "I thought you don't remember anything?"

"I don't remember myself. That's what amnesia is. I don't remember anything about who I am, or anything remotely connected to me, including things I might have learned before. But everyone knows that Heero Yuy was the leader of the colonies! That's like to know how to walk; no one forgets it. Geez…" Blaze rolled her eyes, and looked at him again. "You don't believe me do you?"

"No." he replied simply.

"So what are you going to do? Kill me??" she taunted, as she stood up and put her hands on her hips.

Heero pulled out his gun, pointing it at her chest. "That's not very smart, considering I have the weapon."

She glared at him, then smirked. "The only problem with you, is that you don't really know if I'm telling the truth or not. So if you do kill me, there's the possibility that I am actually innocent, and you would have killed someone who was harmless. How long would your conscience live with that? Or do you not have one?"

Tension was thick, but then was broken like a twig when there was a knock on the door. Heero, who was closest to the door, answered it. It was Howard, and he handed him a large black bag. "What's this for?" Heero asked.

"Her." Howard pointed past Heero's shoulder at Blaze.

"Hn." Heero replied, and shut the door. He threw the bag at her, and she caught it, setting it on her bed. Immediately she pulled out some clothes. She started to walk into the bathroom. "Where are you going?" Heero demanded, feeling their argument wasn't at an end.

"To take a shower, is that alright with you?? Lay off me, alright?" Blaze shot back. She slammed the door, and Heero rubbed his temples in frustration.

The shower was refreshing, something she worshipped now. She didn't take things like this for granted. Having a place to stay (despite the roommate) with a job made her life much happier. She closed her eyes as she showered, imagining the mysterious scars weren't there. For once she was happy, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.

When she came out, Heero was watching the news as Dr. J. had requested him to for some strange reason. He didn't acknowledge her at all, as his attention was fully on the man on the screen. Soon Heero's puzzlement was solved. The man wore a blue uniform with a gold sash and the ESUN badge pinned onto it. What was left of his gray hair was pulled back into a thin ponytail. His ice green eyes were sharp and piercing, even through the television. Apparently the broadcast just started.

"It has come to my attention that we, as the 'Earth Sphere Unified Nations', have been compromised by the colonies of space. Ladies and gentlemen of the ESUN, we will be in battle engaging this declaration of war. War against the colonies. As the leader of the defensive armed forces of ESUN, I have the power bestowed upon me by the support from many representatives of numerous countries, whom agree that the previous battles have been caused by conflict between Earth and the Colonies. We cannot co-exist in this era of changes. It is time to end tolerance and treaties. The only solution is that one must be destroyed. Turmoil, blood, and chaos will endure until one is gone from existence.

Earth is man's home. It is where humans have prospered from, lived for and died for; it has been our home for generations and we would be lost without it. This leaves only one option, and that is to eliminate the space colonies.

My forces are strong, and concerning weaponry, there's an excess supply. We will prevail in battle, for the good of all mankind. All battles will cease after the problem is deleted from our way of life. Sleep well, fair citizens and dream of glory, and of victory, and of much awaited celebration for permanent peace in our futures."

Blaze sat down on the bed quickly next to Heero, as her legs gave way. She was stunned and confused. War? On the colonies? She knew about the history, but this was extremely unnecessary. What if she was from a colony?? What if she still had family on a colony?? She would lose them, and her key to her past as well. There was so much she didn't know, so much she still had to figure out. War? Again??

"Shit!" Heero muttered, and checked his laptop quickly. His fingers typed rapidly across the keys, but Blaze didn't hear it. She continued watching intently, as the news re-showed plenty of the speech, interviewed many people, and so on. So far, she had just learned that his name was Hampshire, President of the defensive negotiations system with the colonies. Apparently, he got tired of negotiations, and decided to turn many of the council to vote for war as a solution. Peace was no longer ruling.

There was a sharp knock on the door and Heero opened it. Blaze glanced at him, as he stepped out into the hall. Puzzled, she quietly stepped forward and listened.

"This is great. This is just freaking great," someone said. She recognized the voice as the braided one. What was his name? "This is just like Zechs, don't you think? This is like that 'one battle to end all battles' thing."

"Yes." said another, much quieter and very well reserved. Almost like Heero. "There is a slight case of déjà vu amidst."

"Well, whatever the case, we aren't supposed to take any action." This voice was slightly harsh and arrogant.

"Still, they should give us an order sometime soon…" a kind voice replied. "The colonies have no defense at all against something like that. I thought peace was established and settled."

"It looks as though little Peacecraft hasn't been doing her job," muttered the braided guy.

"You're wrong." Heero said. "She has been trying her best, but the council of ESUN and the colonial representatives aren't willing to listen to her. You should remember she's still our age."

"True." the calm one said.

Silence.

"What is it, Heero?" asked the kind voice.

The door was opened then, and Blaze leaned casually against the doorframe. "Hi!" she grinned. "How'd you know I was here?"

"I could hear the floorboards creak when you shifted, and I could see your shadow under the door."

"Ah, I see." She replied. Her eyes fell on four other guys which all stood in a half circle. Her eyes fell on the braided one.

"What is _she_ doing here?!" demanded the Chinese one.

"Wow, I can see you were raised with manners…" she muttered. "a 'hello' would be the proper greeting."

"I remember you!" exclaimed the braided wonder.

"Yeah… I remember you too." She replied with a smirk.

"Hello, I'm Quatre Raberba Winner," said the blonde… the one with the kind voice. He shook her hand softly.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you. My name is Blaze." She smiled. "Who are the rest of you?"

"Trowa Barton."

"Duo Maxwell! I may run, I may hide, but I never tell a lie! That's me in a nutshell…" Duo grinned.

"Maxwell, shut up." The Chinese boy snapped. He turned his coal eyes on Blaze. "Chang, Wufei."

"Alright… now that you've all told me your names, I have to try and remember them." She rubbed the space between her eyes.

"Why were you listening to us?" Trowa asked with his arms crossed.

"Because I want to know what's going on. I am very confused." She confessed.

"Well, onna, you shouldn't be spying and it's none of your business." Wufei snapped.

She glared at him and put her hands on her hips. "Since when did wars become a PERSONAL affair??" she demanded.

"Stop it." Heero demanded. "We'll finish our discussion in the dining room. Blaze, you should go to bed. You probably need your rest."

She grinned at him. "Under any other circumstances, I would have actually thought you cared. But I know that you're only saying that so that I don't follow you guys into the dining room…"

"So take the hint, onna!" Wufei said.

"Bakana otoko!" she shot back.

Heero looked at her, slightly surprised. "You speak Japanese?"

She nodded, inspecting her nails. "Hai…y Espanol."

"Where'd you learn?" Duo asked.

Her eyes clouded over for a moment, as she tried to search her mind. Then her eyes fell, and she shrugged. "I don't remember. It's just something that's stuck in me, I guess…"

"Uh huh…" Heero muttered.

"Don't you have some place to be??" she snapped.

"We should go… we have a lot to discuss." Trowa cut in.

"Yeah… it's going to be a long night…" Quatre added.

The boys retreated down the stairs. Heero let his eyes linger on Blaze before he left. Blaze gave a long sigh of relief.

"Finally… they're gone," she whispered to herself. She closed the door behind her, leaning against it and slumping to the floor. She drew her knees up to her chest and put her head in her arms. "This is more difficult than I thought it would be," she muttered. 

She had never meant for this to happen, of course. But the prospect of having a place to stay finally was wonderful. Of course now her paranoid roommate seemed to be a large enough con to bring down her mood and optimism. She was afraid. She wasn't sure what there was to be afraid of, but for one reason or another she was scared… and it had nothing to do with the prospect that Heero was willing to kill her. Something deep down inside of her just gave her a strong sense of foreboding. What if Heero found out something about her that she didn't know? How could she defend herself against a fact? A fact that she wasn't aware of? What if it was a fact that she wasn't ready to face yet?

**********

They all sat down at the dining room table. "So… what's going on?" Duo finally asked.

"I got an e-mail from Dr. J. telling me to watch the news-" Heero started.

Duo rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant! I mean with the chick! What's she doing there?"

"Her name is Blaze." Quatre corrected.

"I know that Q-man." Duo replied lightly. He poked Heero's arm. "So what's happenin'?"

Heero glared at him, debating whether to hit him or not. He finally gave a slight sigh in defeat. "She's my roommate."

"WHAT???" they all exclaimed.

"How long is that onna going to stay with you?!"

"I don't know." Heero admitted. "There's no limit, unfortunately."

"Wait, wait, wait… are you saying you don't like her?" Duo asked, wide-eyed.

"Of course I don't." Heero spat. "I don't even know who she is, baka."

"Well, I don't mean like that… but she does got the looks, and you're sharing a room with her…!!" Duo pointed out. "Do you understand the possibilities….??"

"Duo!" Quatre scolded.

Trowa shook his head. "Americans…"

Heero whacked Duo sharply across his head. "Ouch!! Hey, it was just an idea!!" Duo rubbed the back of his head to numb the pain, and winced.

"If we came down here to talk about girls, then I'm going back to bed…" Wufei threatened.

"That's NOT what we came down here for." Heero replied, and shot Duo a death glare. "As I was saying before Duo decided to add his two cents, was that I had only received an e-mail from Dr. J to watch the news, and afterwards to reframe from action."

"Why?" Quatre asked.

"Because there are some things that need to be looked into before we take that sort of action. He suspects that Hampshire is up to something… and we still need to talk to Relena." Heero said.

"Should we request a meeting with her?" Trowa asked.

"No. If I know any better, she'll come here before we even get a chance to contact her." Heero replied.

"Wow! Heero, did you just crack a joke??" Duo asked with amazement. Heero narrowed his eyes in a steady glare. "Okay, never mind."

They're conversation continued well into the night, until everyone decided there was nothing more to be said, and they each went to bed.

When Heero entered the room, the lights were still on but there was a sleeping someone under the covers of the bed next to him. His first instinct was to reach for his gun, but he paused in his actions. He furrowed his brow in a frown. He wasn't use to having someone else in his room. How was he suppose to go to sleep if he can hear someone else breathing next to him? He hated having a roommate, especially with a girl who has the attitude equivalent to Duo. 'Perhaps I could ask Trowa to switch places with me….?' he thought. Then he quickly threw away the idea. If he did ask help on such a small thing, then it would surely kill his Perfect Soldier title. Yup, he was going to have to tough this one out. Heero knew he was screwed. He dragged out a long sigh in defeat.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

AN: Bakana otoko means stupid man in Japanese ^_____^

Wufei: _ ggrr….


	3. “So you’ll do it?” Dr J asked “Sure, ju...

Heero: You take too long to get your chapters out.

Heero's Girl: Shut up! *whacks Heero with her whacking stick* At least they're coming!!

Heero: Don't hit me.

Heero's Girl: I just did. Be nicer next time.

Heero: The things you ask of me.

Duo (from the distance): Oye! Heero's Girl! Hurry up, will ya?? Post it already!!

  
Heero's Girl: Yeah, yeah! Let the author of procrastination procrastinate!! *sigh* -_-;; I put in those amnesia facts just for you, Quincy007! I never really thought about it, but hey, I'm sure people would want to know. Arigato!! ^_^

Heero: You actually persuaded her to go look up information about amnesia. Now the baka knows what she's talking about. I commend you.

Heero's Girl: *grips whacking stick* Keep pushin', buster.

Heero: I'm Heero. Get my name right.

Heero's Girl: _!!!!

****

Chapter 3:"So you'll do it?" Dr. J. asked. "Sure, just so long as he doesn't wear spandex…"

Blaze woke up to the midday light warming her face, dim because it was filtering through the closed curtains. She opened her eyes half way, lifted her head slightly, then sank back down into the soft pillow. Actually, it wasn't that soft. It was probably old and there might not have been much left in it. But it felt much better as opposed to the hard benches of the park. After all, it's not like everything is going to be great quality, eh? She stretched then, and arched her back, lifting her in her bed. With a deep sigh, she stood up. She opened the edge of a curtain, and sunlight blinded her. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized how late it was. She hopped over her bed and looked at the clock. 12:30. She got dressed quickly and went downstairs.

She nearly ran into the dining room/kitchen area, where most of the pilots sat. The only two who weren't there were Heero and Wufei. Duo and Quatre looked up with a smile, and Trowa stared at her with his one eye.

"So! She lives!!" Duo commented.

She smiled at his words. "Don't pick on me, Braided Wonder. Let me enjoy my rest."

"How did you sleep, anyway?" Quatre piped up.

"Better than I have for a while. I'm hungry." she said. "Could I get myself something to eat?"

"Of course. If you're entitled to live here, then you're entitled to eat." Quatre replied.

Trowa glanced from her to Duo. "She's just like you. Always thinking with your stomach."

"Nothing more than the natural way to live." Duo beamed.

Blaze made herself a cup of tea and English muffins with cheese. She sat down and at her food quickly and in silence. In a matter of seconds her food was gone, and she sipped at her tea politely.

"Hungry? Geez…" Duo commented, as he peeked over his mechanics magazine. He had a red marker in hand, circling cool weapons that he might put on Deathscythe eventually.

"You have no idea…" she replied. "Where are the other two? Not that I'm saying I miss them, or anything… in fact, it's best to know so I can avoid them."

"Heero's in the gym." Trowa said, then paused, looking past Blaze.

"Onna, what are you talking about?" Wufei scowled behind her.

"… and Wufei's behind you." Trowa finished.

Blaze turned in her seat, and gave him a fake smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing about you. I'm sure there are more interesting topics to cover first."

Wufei's eyes narrowed. "Keep pushing and you'll regret it."

"Yeah, whatever…" she muttered, and got up to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Quatre asked.

"Yeah… I have to go help the Chef now. I bet I was suppose to be there earlier…" she shook her head and left.

Once she was definitely gone, Trowa said, "Don't touch her cup. I'm going to test it for fingerprints and run it through to find out who she really is."

Heero was bench pressing when he heard the door to the gym open. He ignored whoever it was, continuing with his own business. He wanted whoever it was to leave, so he could be left with just his thoughts about that girl Blaze.

Suddenly, Trowa, Duo, and Quatre's face appeared over him. He set the bar down and sat up, facing them.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, looking at each of them. They looked skeptical and let down.

"I took her fingerprints from her tea cup earlier…" Trowa started. "And ran a search on it. She has no file."

"What??" Heero demanded.

"She has no identity." Quatre rephrased, even though he knew his friend understood.

"Do you know what this means?" Duo asked. Heero sat in silence. "It means that she may be a person straight from the streets who was born into poverty, and so she never had any official files. Or…"

"…Or, it means that she was important to someone… important enough to not have a file so no one could learn about her." Heero finished.

"Exactly." Trowa said. "I believe the latter, as a matter of fact. If she didn't have amnesia, then the story might be different. But not in this case. Then again, I still have yet to try and talk to her. We'll see what the outcome is."

Blaze stood outside the base where the beach was, mindlessly feeling her hands. They were wrinkled from all of the dishes she had to wash for hours. The sun was on its course down into the ocean. It was probably about 5 p.m. She looked out across the cold waters of the Hudson Bay, and sighed. This is just like the beach that she came from. She stared at the horizon, and wondered, 'Did I come from across these waters? What if I took a boat… and went across… what would I find?' She looked at the lapping waves on the beach, and the pebbles that rolled down into the surf with every fallback, as if beckoning to her. She was familiar with these waters… more than anything right now. But she was afraid of them more than anything as well. What secrets did they hold? Was her past at the bottom? Now, it looked as a calm and peaceful thing of nature. But to her, it looked harsh… threatening. 'I wonder if there was a time where I loved the ocean.' she thought. As her mind wandered and drifted with the tide, she hummed a familiar song which was always in her head. She wasn't sure if she had heard it during her time of wandering the streets but whatever the case, she always had it in her head. She didn't know the words. Just the tune. It was one of the many small puzzles filling her head, but she loved this one unlike the others. Humming it gave her a feeling of calmness.

"Is that where you came from?" asked a quiet voice behind her. She spun around and faced Trowa, who looked down at her with mystery shrouding his keen green eyes, then looked out towards the waters.

"Yeah…" she replied.

"Do you remember anything from it?" he asked.

"I just remember waking up on a beach. That's the oldest memory I have." she replied.

"You don't even remember drifting?" She shot a look at him, which made him respond, "Forgive me, I don't mean to pry too deeply."

She sighed and looked out across the waters again. "That's alright." she said. "I can understand how everyone is curious and paranoid about me."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the sun touch the horizon, sending its rippling image across the waters like a golden path. Finally Trowa spoke. "I know what it feels like…"

"What feels like?"

"Amnesia. I had it for a while before." he replied.

She looked at him, surprised. "How did you get your memory back?"

"It came back on its own, bit by bit." Trowa looked at her. "Do you know what kind of amnesia you have?" She shook her head. "Retrograde amnesia. Loss of memory before the accident occurs. There are many ways a person can get it back. It's different for each person. That's what I had for a short period of time."

She looked at her hands, then asked, "What other kinds are there?"

"There's anterograde amnesia where the person can't hold memories after the accident. That type is unusual. There is global transitory amnesia, which is anterograde followed by retrograde. That never lasts long."

"Are there any others?"

Trowa was silent for a moment, then said, "some people forget certain traumatic events. I believe that's called hysterical amnesia. No accident causes it. It's just a person who tries to delete a time in their past because they can't handle it."

"hm…."

Trowa looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her face was pulled into a frown and her eyes stared off blankly, as if she was thinking or trying to recall something, anything. He knew that look. He was all too familiar with it.

"There's something I want to tell you… but I don't want you to think anything suspicious of me, because I don't think I've done anything wrong." she paused for a response, but received none from the silent man. "Sometimes I can remember small things. Or I am familiar to certain things, even though I haven't approached them as of late. Some things are bigger than others… like how I can still speak Japanese and Spanish. I hum a song too. I don't know the words, though. How can that be if I have amnesia??" she looked at him, her eyes hoping for an answer. "I'm afraid of who I might have been. I'm afraid that you guys will find out something about me that I don't know. I want to know who I am more than anything… but… when I think about knowing… I get afraid."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. It's like something I can't touch. It's like something in a dream that keeps getting farther and farther away the harder you try to reach for it." she paused uneasily, and cracked her knuckles.

"There's something you're leaving out." Trowa said.

"I can't say everything. I need to keep some things to myself."

Trowa placed a long hand over hers. "You can trust me, if you really want to talk to someone."

They sat in silence a while longer, and the sun had almost set. The very tip of its top peeked a last goodnight and fell behind the ocean, taking the horizon with it. Now it began to look as if the ocean and sky were merging into one.

"I have scars… I don't know what they're from." she said finally. "And I get nightmares… I don't know what they're about though. The memory of them leaves before I wake up. I get afraid of that sometimes. It's like my amnesia is haunting me."

Trowa looked at her suspiciously. "What kind of scars?"

"Cuts… strange marks…" she paused.

"And what else??" Trowa knew he had dug into something deep. There was something she wanted to say, but she was very afraid. He knew her amnesia was real. It was easy to know that by now. But there's more to know, and there are puzzles that she has which perhaps he could solve. He wanted to help her.

She took a deep breath and let it out in a shiver. "I want to go inside." she said finally. Trowa walked behind her, and they entered the base.

"I might show you a couple of the marks some other time." she whispered finally, when they got to the bottom of the stairs. "But I'm already scared enough as it is that you know so much about me, when to me it seems so little. Please don't tell anyone about what I've told you."

"I give you my word as a pilot." Trowa replied.

She looked up at him, and finally smiled. Trowa let one corner of his mouth lift slightly, and he walked past her and up the stairs to his room.

She stood there for a moment, at the foot of the stairs. Finally she gave a sigh of relief, and went into the kitchen to grab a quick snack before going up to her room.

Heero read the e-mail that Trowa had sent to him and the other pilots. It read, _'Her amnesia is real. I believe that she has retrograde amnesia, and perhaps even a bit of hysterical amnesia. She seems afraid about her past which supports my hysterical amnesia assumption, but that's all I could get out of her.'_

It was a short note, that didn't seem to give very many hints to who she was. The only thing was her fear of her past, which could help to lean their suspicions towards their overall guess that whoever she was, she was important to someone. In what way, was beyond them.

"hn…." he muttered. He checked his clock. It was 7:30 p.m. Where was Blaze? He hadn't seen her all day. Curious as to her whereabouts, he got up to look for her.

Blaze walked up the stairs, tired and wanting to do nothing more than fall onto her bed and go into automatic slumber. She reached for the door handle, but the door swung open, and she collided into Heero's chest. His hand roughly steadied her on her feet, and she looked up into his glaring eyes.

"Where were you?" he demanded.

"Eating." she shot back. "Why are you so eager as to know what the hell I'm doing?" He narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed wearily. "Look." she said. "I'm tired, and I have no reason to argue with you. So if you'll kindly step aside to let me into OUR room, then I'd like to take a shower and go to bed."

"Hn…" he growled, and walked by her and down the stairs.

She shut the door behind her, and raised her hands to the heavens in despair. "Why me?!" she demanded. "What have I done to deserve HIM???" then her arms fell limply to her sides. She lolled her way over to her bed and fell onto it with a 'plop'.

Heero went back up the stairs after a few minutes. He didn't want her to think he was **_concerned_** or anything by looking for her. He opened the door, prepared for her attitude, but instead he found her sprawled across her bed, and her eyes closed. Heero paused, then stepped inside the room. He closed the door behind him quietly, and quietly walked to the end of her bed, where her face was easiest to see.

There was no expression on her face, but her body was relaxed. Heero had to admit, that Duo was right. She was pretty. But that didn't change anything. He still didn't like her. He had seen a lot of pretty girls, but it didn't make any difference.

She hadn't changed even out of her day clothes. He frowned to himself. Should he just leave her there? He wasn't sure how to handle her. He knew he shouldn't care, but something inside him made him grab a blanket and throw it over her carelessly. Satisfied, he went to his laptop.

Blaze opened one eye once she heard the typing of his keys. All right… so maybe he wasn't *that* bad. Finally, she really did fall asleep, despite the annoyance of Heero pressing the keys and clicking the mouse.

Blaze opened her eyes to nothing but darkness. She wasn't blind. But there was no light, wherever she was. This wasn't her and Heero's room. The air was cold and musty, and the ground beneath her was hard… stone, probably. There was no sound. None, whatsoever. She couldn't even hear her own breathing. Was she even breathing? She couldn't tell.

  
She tried to push herself up, but she couldn't. She could only achieve a crawling position. She felt the ground blindly with her hands. She didn't know where she was going, but whatever the case, she hoped to find a way out of… wherever this was. If it wasn't for her strong urge to get away, she would have been frozen with fear. But something compelled her to struggle against the invisible bonds. In this darkness, it was as if her mind was open to someone… someone who was looking down on her, reading her mind like pages from a book. They were pages she didn't know, and she immediately wanted it to end. Her efforts froze when a loud 'thump' echoed into her soundless and sightless world. Suddenly, she felt a greater urge to get out of wherever she was, thus making her progress worse.

Heero woke up in the late night to the sound of shallow and quick breaths. He sat up with a jolt, then remembered (again): he had a roommate. Puzzled, he looked over at Blaze. He couldn't see her face. Her body was curled up in the blanket that he had put over her, and all he could see was her back, rear, and her feet (which poked out from under the blanket). Heero stood up.

Why was moving becoming so difficult? It smothered Blaze in claustrophobia. Suddenly, there was a small prick of light, that grew steadily faster. She was afraid and backed away, but it advanced. Immediately, there was a tall mirror in front of her. She grabbed onto it, and pulled herself up until she was finally standing. Her knees shook with fear, and her body shook from the cold in this nowhere of a place. She lifted her eyes into the light of the mirror, and then the brightness faded to a dimness. She froze. "no…" she whispered, although she couldn't hear her own voice. The mirror. It was a mirror… but… it had no reflection! Where was her reflection? She was here, so where was… she? She shook her head in disbelief. What was going on? She touched the mirror with a shaking hand and it rippled slightly. Suddenly, another 'thump' echoed louder in the darkness, and the mirror bulged with the sound, and then vibrated to a stop. Another loud thump, and the mirror bulged more violently. Another thump, and it started to crack with the next bulge. She froze in horror, then let out a scream that had no sound.

Heero knelt onto her bedside, about to wake her, when suddenly she screamed and thrashed her arms widely. He jumped back, then grabbed her flailing wrists, and pinned her to her bed. She shook her head violently, and her closed eyes started to water over. Once she was out of breath, she took another, and let out another ear-shattering scream. She twisted her body out of Heero's grasp and Heero stood back, looking for a point where he could pin her again. He grabbed her shoulders, and shook her roughly. "Wake up!" he shouted. "Blaze…!! Wake up!!!" She covered her face with her hands, and muffled whispers came from her. Heero couldn't understand what she was saying, or her actions. 

There was a knock on the door. "Oye, Heero! Heero, what the hell's going on in there?!?!" Duo called through the door.

"Go away!" he shouted back. "I'm fine!" Then he corrected, "We'll be fine!! Just go back to bed." There were grumbles and unhappy words as Duo and the others stalked back to bed.

His eyes were wide with surprise, as he held her shoulders. Again, he said, "Wake up. It was a dream. Whatever it was, it was a dream." He pulled her hands away from her face, and her eyes opened slightly, sparkling with tears. She immediately sat up and turned on the light which was on the nightstand between their beds. Her breathing was rapid and shaky. Her head was low causing her hair to fall over her face, keeping Heero from seeing her expression. She reached a hand up and felt the tears on her cheeks. Heero kept a close eye on her, his hand still on her arm.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I… I… just had a nightmare. I'm fine." she whispered shakily.

"You weren't fine a couple seconds ago. What happened?" Heero demanded.

She sniffed and then said, "I… just had a bad dream, alright?"

"Do you remember what it was about?" Heero asked. Whatever this was, he knew there had to be a reason behind it. That didn't sound like 'just a nightmare'.

She was silent for a moment then whispered, "I don't remember."

They sat in a long silence. Blaze in fear and confusion, and Heero in caution and the fading feeling of bewilderment. She glanced at him quickly, but looked away when he caught her eye.

"Are you going to be all right?" Heero asked tonelessly, breaking the awkward silence.

"Fine. I'll be fine." she whispered, the shaking now gone from her voice.

"Then you should go to bed." he said. Heero got up from his sitting position next to her, and reached to turn off the light.

"Leave it on, please." she said quickly. Heero peered down at her, questioningly. "Please?"

Heero gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine. Just go to bed." He lied down in his bed, and grabbed a book he had been reading. Unable to go back to sleep with a light on, he decided to stay up and keep an eye on Blaze, in case she had another 'nightmare'.

The last thing Blaze saw that late night before she fell asleep (again) was Heero reading a thick book, the lamplight shining onto his solid handsome features. She smiled to herself. 'yup… he's really not that bad. I wonder if he realizes it, though?' Still, her sleep was uneasy, an aftermath from nightmares. They always seemed to have a large effect on her.

When Blaze opened her eyes slightly, light poured in through a crack in the curtains and across her bed. She was in the same position that she fell asleep in, but she wasn't greeted with the same sight of Heero. Right at that moment, Heero stepped out of the bathroom with the steam following him, and a towel draped around his shoulder. He was in his usual spandex, and he searched through his drawers for a green tank top. She heard him mutter choice words under his breath, and she snickered. She had organized her and Heero's clothes, since she couldn't keep track of anything, and Heero originally kept his clothes on her bed.

"Farthest top drawer. Towards your left, Heero." she said.

He glared at her over his shoulder, and then finally found his precious tank top. As he put it on over his well-toned body, she blushed and hid her face under the blankets. She came back out when she heard the squeak of Heero sitting in the chair at his desk. Naturally, like nearly every time she saw him, he was on his stupid laptop.

"What, were you born with that thing? Did it just come with the package??" she asked, as she got up and stretched.

"It's a very important tool." he simply stated.

"Oh yeah? What's so important about it? Seems kinda boring to me, ya know… always typing on it and stuff." She walked over to him, and peered over his shoulder. "What do you do on here, anyway?"

"That's none of your business." Heero replied coldly, and pulled down the screen so she couldn't see his work.

"Geez, excuse me for living…" she shot back, and stuck her tongue out at him. The slam of the bathroom door told Heero she wasn't there, and he lifted the screen again. Looked like he had a mission. 'Finally…' he thought. He connected the cam link, and Dr. J's face appeared with his usual maniacal grin, which seemed to become plastered over the years.

"Good morning, Heero! Long time no see." Dr. J. said.

"Likewise, Dr. J." Heero replied. "What do you have for me?"

"Ah, Heero… You know I'm the one who asks the questions…"

"I have been trained to believe you give the orders, leaving the questions to myself."

"I do that too…" Dr. J. snickered. "But it's not what I have for you… it's what you are going to obtain for me. I have a mission for you. I need to retrieve some information which Hampshire has been sending to some of his forces." Information started being uploaded onto Heero's computer.

"This is the address… it's a formal dining party held by some of ESUN's leaders. You have two days."

"Mission accepted."

"That's not all, Heero. This is a 'couple's only' banquet. So you are going to require a partner."

Heero almost paled, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. When it was left to Dr. J., it was never, ever (under ANY circumstances) good. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Duo…"

Heero blanched. His mouth went dry, and he cleared his throat. "Duo…?" Again… When it was left to Dr. J. it was never a good thing. Heero knew it was because of Duo and his stupid braid, making him easy to look like a girl… but… Duo…???

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and Blaze stepped out, immediately rambling to Heero.

"You don't always have to be such a butthead, you know. It's not like I really care what's on that stupid laptop of yours. I was just wondering. Like I said, it's probably boring…" She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a gray t-shirt, and brushing her hair.

"Heero, who is that??" Dr. J. asked sharply.

Heero was tense with nervousness. "Um… a new roommate, one I have acquired involuntarily."

Suddenly, Blaze stepped behind Heero and noticed Dr. J. on the screen. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

Dr. J's jaw dropped and if he didn't wear goggles, then they were sure his eyes would have bulged as well. "Wha… Heero?"

"Do you want me to kill her?" Heero instinctively reached for his gun.

"No! Don't be foolish, Heero! You could use her!" Dr. J. said brightly. It was Heero's turn to have his jaw drop. Blaze put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me? Did I miss something? I did, didn't I? Something big… Well, I'm hoping I'll be saved from this pit of the unknowing… someone clue me in here." She looked from Heero to the old geezer on the screen. "And I'll ask again… who the hell are you??"

"I'm allowed the privilege to ask that first. Explain your identity, girl!" Dr. J. demanded.

"Hai! I have no identity, nothing more than what you see before you. I call myself Blaze." she beamed.

Heero glared at her. "She also claims to have amnesia." Heero ducked Blaze's hand, as she tried to whack him across the head.

"Baka!" she scolded. "I was going to tell him that, oh Impatient One!"

Dr. J. raised his eyebrows. "You have amnesia, do you? That's interesting, considering you seem American, but speak some Japanese."

Blaze crossed her arms and copied Heero's death glare. Heero glared at her for copying his trademark.

Dr. J. ignored her action, and continued to explain things on his part. He seemed… surprised, though, by this news about this new girl. "You… oye… alright, never mind. I'll give you a brief explanation. I'm Dr. J., Heero's guardian and mentor. I'm sure you already know about the whole Gundam Pilot story, since you are staying with them and you are Heero's roommate-"

"Involuntarily." Both Heero and Blaze said at the same time. They glanced at each other, then back to the screen.

"Yes, yes. I've established that as well. Well, Heero has a mission. A small one, really. A walk in the park… and he needs a partner to go as his date. Duo was our first choice, but… well… you can see the slight problem there. You are about the same build, female…"

"Thank you for making me aware of that, Dr. J." Blaze said sarcastically with a grin.

"… and the same attitude. Heero… this is comical!!" Dr. J. started laughing.

"I'm glad you think so." Heero hissed.

"Aha… So. Anyway, would you mind being Heero's date on this mission?" Dr. J. finished.

"Me… go with Heero, who doesn't seem too thrilled by my presence, what with the guns and all…. Or stay here, and help the chef for another strenuous pile of dishes. Hm… Heero, Chef. Heero, Chef." she lifted and lowered her hands. "Choices…"

"So you'll do it?" Dr. J. asked.

"Sure, just so long as he doesn't wear spandex…" she gave Heero a look and grinned.

Dr. J. started cracking up again, since the comical old man seemed to find this morning very entertaining. "Of course not. This is going to be a formal event. But don't expect him to brush his hair."

"When did this ordeal turn into a fashion discussion of myself??" Heero demanded hotly.

"Oh, loosen up…" Blaze demanded, and pushed him slightly in his seat. "Besides, I like your hair! It's so unkempt, yet so…cute!"

"Great. You think my hair is 'cute'. I'm flattered." Heero grounded his teeth, as Blaze patted his head. Then he addressed to Dr. J, "I'm going to kill her after this mission."

"No you won't…" Dr. J. responded coolly.

"Then I'll break some of her bones. Such as her fingers- STOP PLAYING WITH MY HAIR!!!! Go see Duo. He won't mind your annoying petting." Heero demanded, his eyes flaring angrily as he grabbed her wrist to stop her actions. Blaze giggled immensely, but tried to control it by hiding her grin behind her hand.

"Well, it seems like you two are getting along just fine. I'll let you go now and remember, Heero! Two days! The packages have already been sent. You'll go by car, of course. You won't need your gundam."

"Yes sir."

The connection closed, and Heero took a breath. He stood up quickly, knocking his chair over. He pointed at Blaze, his finger an inch from her nose. "I'm going to kill you. Don't get in my way with this mission, and don't disobey me! Do you understand?"

She winked at him, and then poked him in his abs. Calm down. We have two days to go over the details and for you to point your finger at me. But I have a hot-tempered Chef waiting, and I have to go do my pay for stealing that stupid food. Ja ne, Heero!"

She walked out of the room, leaving Heero dumbfounded and full of frustration. He growled to himself, and clenched his fist. How was she able to get to him so easily?? He knew what it was… He didn't phase her. She knows he can't kill her, so all of his threats are idle. Of course, this wouldn't stop the Perfect Soldier from inflicting pain, if the time called for it. He knew, too, it would only be a matter of time before she did something to trigger him again.


	4. “Note to self for later reference: Kick ...

****

Chapter 4: "Note to self for later reference: Kick Heero's spandex covered little ass!!"

Heero stood stiffly against the wall with his arms crossed. The past two days had gone by quickly. Too quickly to his liking. He hated the idea of taking someone inexperienced and practically a stranger onto one of his missions. He stared at the gundams resting in the bay area of the base, and growled to himself. Even he, being the soldier he was, had looked forward to not having to fight anymore. Or, at least for a bit longer. Fate, it seemed, had other plans for the stoic ex-pilot. Now here he was, preparing to go into battle again, and this time with the unwanted company of Blaze, one of the most feisty girls he'd ever encountered. As if the mere thought of her brought her presence, she appeared at his side.

"Oye, oye Heero." she nudged his shoulder with hers. "Don't be so worried. It's not like I'm going to do anything wrong. I'll just tag along with you, that's all."

"You're a handicap to this mission. I don't need you." he hissed.

"I guess you do, 'cause you need a date to this formal party!" Her blue eyes shined at him and she grinned. "Try and give me a little credit, will you?"

"Why are you bothering me?" He demanded, turning his head to look at her fully.

"Ah! I meant to tell you! The package is here! We've gotta go get ready, don't we? I'm sure you're familiar with that whole 'as soon as possible' thing…" she tugged on his forearm for him to follow her.

He yanked his arm away, and walked next to her. "Hn…" he grumbled. They walked towards the front of the bay, where it was open to the cool early afternoon. There a box sat, along with 4 pilots who had already opened it and were looking through the things. "Do you mind?" he said to all of them. They turned and looked at him.

Duo bounced up with a grin. "It's all yours. It's nothin' much. Just a tux and a dress with the accessories."

"Yes, Maxwell. A dress which you were originally going to wear." Wufei said with a snicker. 

Duo stuck his tongue out at him. "TTTTHHHHHHHBBBB!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Blaze looked past the two, at Quatre who blushed furiously as he pulled out a pair of fake rubber and latex breasts, similar to a strapless bra with the same hook connection in the back. "Oh this is going to give me nightmares…" he said finally, and gave a heavy sigh.

"What the hell am I suppose to do with that?!?!" Blaze shouted, snatching the thing from Quatre's hands. She held it away from her at an arms distance with both hands, as she stared at it.

Heero walked past the two now arguing pilots, and stood next to Blaze with an eyebrow raised. "Hn… The package was sent before our conversation with Dr. J. That was when Dr. J. thought Duo would be playing his role."

Duo stopped at the mention of his name, then cracked up when he saw what Blaze was holding. "I was suppose to wear that? Oh man! Hahaha!! This is great!!" He grabbed the object, and squeezed the fake breasts curiously.

Blaze hit Duo hard across the head. "BAKANA HENTAI!!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!"

Duo rubbed his head to dull the pain. "Hey! I was just wondering how real they'd seem compared to the real thing!!"

Wufei held his nose to stop the blood that was going to gush out. "And how the HELL would you know, MAXWELL???"

"Hey, chill your dirty mind, Wu-Wu!! Ya'll know it's male's instinct!!" Duo said with a shrug. Wufei clenched his fists at being called 'Wu-Wu.'

"How many men do you wanna bet can't tell the difference between the feel of real breasts and implants??" Blaze countered.

"How did this whole thing turn into this…?" Trowa asked quietly. "I thought there's a mission coming up. Don't you have something to be taking care of Blaze?"

Blaze gave a sharp sigh, and stomped over to the box. She grabbed her belongings, taking only what she needed, of course… and left to go change. Heero followed her carrying his things as well.

Blaze changed in the bathroom, and Heero changed in the bedroom. It was best that way, since Blaze still had to fix her hair and whatnot.

Heero had been waiting outside for a half an hour with the rest of the guys. "How long does it take the average woman to get ready?" Heero finally asked them.

"It depends." replied Trowa. "Katherine takes and hour and a half, but that's because she has her costume to always get into and make up, and hair…"

"That's what Blaze is doing right now." Duo said with a smirk. "I'll bet she looks even hotter once she's all dressed up…" Heero glared at him, Quatre giggled, Wufei rolled his eyes, and Trowa settled on a hard stare.

Finally, Blaze came out. All sets of male eyes stared at someone who didn't remind them at all of the attitude and tomboyish girl they knew.

Blaze wore a glittering dark blue dress which fell to her ankles, and was held up by thin spaghetti straps. She had a black sash to match it, and black heels. She wore a black choker, diamond earrings, and white gloves that went to her elbows. Her hair was pulled up into a nice bun, and she wore some makeup, much to her disliking. She twiddled her thumbs, and looked down at the floor.

They were all taken aback. She was so beautiful!! Her shy actions were new as well, and it made her much more feminine. She bit her glossed pink lip and looked up at them, blushing furiously.

Duo gave a low whistle and continued to gawk.

"I feel so dumb…" she muttered finally, her voice a girlish whisper.

"You shouldn't!" Quatre countered. "You look beautiful!!"

She looked down at her feet and grinned. Then she looked up at Duo. "Would you like a bucket to hold your drool? God, Duo! Get a hold of yourself! I don't look that great…"

"Matter of opinion…" Duo mumbled to himself. Trowa glanced at him.

"What's that mark?" Heero asked stoically, pointing at a scar which almost hid itself under the thin black strap on her right shoulder.

She didn't glance at her shoulder, and pulled the shawl over it. "I don't know. It's nothing." she replied quickly, and made brief eye contact with Trowa then looked away quickly. "Shouldn't we get going?" she asked, changing the subject.

Heero narrowed his eyes. "fine." he replied. He walked behind her, acknowledging how tightly she kept her shawl wrapped around her shoulders and neck.

It took a few hours to reach the place, but they were there with the night sky hanging over them, wrapping them in the crisp air of evening. The black car which they had shown up in left, leaving them on their own. They both acknowledged how they were the youngest ones there. The rest of the adults there, were in their mid-40's or older. Heero eyed his surroundings suspiciously. 'hn…' he thought. 'I would have expected to see Relena here, talking to many of these ESUN leaders about peace. It's in her character to do so…'

Blaze gave him a small tug, a hint that they should stop standing there at the edge of the sidewalk, and go inside. He glanced at her, and looked back at the large Victorian house with his icy blue eyes. It was three stories high, and the outside was red brick. It was very old fashioned, but still held its beauty throughout the years. There was a wide stairway that lead into the house through large oak double doors, where two men stood guarding the entrance. They both held lists, checking people in as they came.

They stepped up the steps, and once they approached one of the men, Heero stated their identity as the son of one of the representatives who couldn't make it. The representative name which they were enlisted under was fake, of course. Dr. J. had made sure of everything for their safety, especially since Blaze was with Heero.

Once they entered inside, Blaze let out a small breath.

"Relax." Heero said. "We don't need anyone to suspect us by your nervousness."

"I'm not nervous!" she protested. "Whoever said I'm nervous? I'm just… adjusting, that's all. And cautious."

Heero looked down at her, meeting her blue eyes with his icy glare. "Why are you being so incredibly careful? There's not much that you have to do. I'm doing all of the work here."

She smiled at him with a kind face, yet her eyes showed the anger that was in her. "Because **_someone_** had made a big deal about my incompetence to this stupid thing, even though that person says it's nothing big! Which, in turn, makes me feel very inferior and unsure of myself, so… in order to please that **_person_**, and since I am afraid I may fail since one insisted so, it's no wonder that I'm acting the way I am. If you hadn't pressured me so much with this stupid thing, then I wouldn't be so nervous and I would be doing just fine, which in turn would make our pseudo relationship much more believable." With that, she turned to the side, lifting her chin up in a haughty manner. "Remember I'm doing you a favor, **_dear_**."

Heero knew she was right, but he pretended to ignore her in his stubbornness. Changing the topic, he decided to play his role. "Care to dance?" He offered his hand to her.

She looked at him from her upset stance. Then the corner of her mouth lifted in a little grin, and she tucked a loose strand of light brown hair behind her ear. "Sure." she replied.

They moved out onto the dance floor, surrounded by other couples. The music was classical, a waltzing type. Heero pulled Blaze in by her hand, and stood them in the waltzing stance. Suddenly, Blaze tensed slightly, and she looked up at him uneasily, a slow blush coming to her cheeks.

"Heero…" she whispered.

"Hn…?"

"I don't know how to waltz…." she confessed. Then she reminded, "You never taught me."

"Oh…. Well…. The steps are simple. You walk in a box, and you follow my lead. Just try to act like you know what you're doing…" he whispered in her ear.

"I… fine."

Blaze mentally kicked herself for how hot her face felt. Heero pulled away slightly and started to lead her slowly through the steps, all the while keeping his eyes on her. At first, she kept glancing at their feet, but then he whispered, "Stop it. You look unprofessional."

"I *am* unprofessional, you idiot." she hissed. She knew she was being bitter, but it was merely a facade to cover her pounding heart and blushing cheeks. 'Hopefully, Heero will think it's just makeup…' she thought to herself. Inwardly, she brutally tried to kill the attraction that seemed to be popping up out of nowhere. What was she attracted to? His personality was so… cold. He was always mean to her. But… there was just something… ah, yes. His good looks. She had noticed from the start that he was a very good looking stoic homicide, even if his fashion sense was a little… unforgiving. Still, right now, at this moment, he didn't seem like the same person.

'Of course he doesn't seem the same. This is all just an act, after all…' she said mentally. Still… he was nicely dressed. He smelled good, too. It took plenty of her will power and sanity to not bury her face into his neck.

She glanced at her feet again, and Heero squeezed her hand. She shot her eyes up and glared into his steely defiant stare. She made herself look as angry as she could, afraid that Heero would see past her screen. After all, this… crush… or whatever it was, was probably just something stupid that'll fade away by the end of the night. She probably wasn't in her right state of mind.

Heero narrowed his eyes at her, and looked past her as they danced. There was something in her eyes that he didn't like. Something that unnerved him. The tension was thick between them, and although it was easy to assume it was because they just didn't get along, there still seemed to be something else there.

Soon the dance ended, and they grabbed a free table. It was near the corner, out of people's way. Blaze sat down and looked at the small provisions. They had their usual crackers in plastic, of course. There were also glasses turned upside down on top of napkins. It was a small round two-person table, and it had a rose in the center with a white candle. Blaze smirked as Heero pulled out the chair for her. "Well, if this was a different situation, then this would make a nice romantic set up."

Heero sat down stiffly and started fiddling with the napkin. "Don't get any ideas."

Blaze rolled her eyes. "I'm not. I was just saying. So much for small talk." Subconsciously, she let her shawl slip and rest on the back of the white wooden chair.

Heero glanced at her scar. "How did you get that?" he asked.

She looked down at herself, up at his eyes, then glanced away quickly. "I don't know."

"It looks like a bullet wound." he commented.

She occupied her vision with watching the elderly couples dance and at the orchestra that was playing. A waiter had come by and filled their glasses with ice water. She finally looked back down at her glass. "I know it does. But I don't know how I got it."

On that happy note, the topic was dropped quickly. Heero peered at her out of the corner of his eye, as he kept his ears tuned on peoples' conversations. 'I suppose she really does have amnesia…' he thought.

The night progressed, and people kept coming. Finally, the front doors were closed, and the party commenced. The large ball room was completely filled with the people of ESUN and some representatives for Earth's main countries. When the room was at its max with excitement and bustling people in tuxedos and gowns, Heero took Blaze's hand and went up the curving stairs to the second floor. There were very few people up here, mostly the silent ones-the wallflowers, who preferred to watch from above. The lights of the hall wasn't on, and there was a red ribbon blocking off the end of the hallway which veered to the right.

They walked as stealthily as cats in the darkness, quietly going over the blocking ribbon. They went around the corner, and Heero stopped right outside the first door on the right side. He quickly picked the lock then entered, pulling Blaze inside with him. Blaze smirked, and threw out the first comment that struck her. "Wow, Heero… I didn't know you'd be so bold…"

If it wasn't pitch black, then Blaze would have been the first person to ever see Heero blush. That unfortunately not being the case, she only was given a grunt and a "Shut up," as a response.

She heard him walking somewhere in the room, as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. Right when she could start to make out his form and other unknown objects surrounding her, a bright light blinded her eyes as Heero turned on a computer. She could see his silhouette as he stood in front of the computer with his back to her. She looked around the room. There was a fake tree in the corner, and next to that was a recliner chair. In front of the recliner chair was a coffee table, and on the other side of the coffee table was a love seat. There were other things as well. There was a file cabinet next to the computer and a bookshelf on the wall behind her, next to the door.

"Wow… how cozy…" she whispered. "No windows."

"Be quiet." Heero responded.

She walked quietly next to him and looked at the computer screen. He worked quickly, bringing up multiple files of who-knows-what. He was putting nearly everything on a disk that he had put in the computer. She tapped the corner of the desk impatiently with her finger. Did he really have to get EVERYTHING??? It was taking way too long for her liking. She wanted to get it and leave. "Is all of this really necessary??" she whispered in his ear.

"Yes."

"How much more do you need?"

"One more file…" he responded. He clicked on it to be moved to the A drive. The highlighted bar moved slowly, and leftover time showed 2:34 minutes.

Blaze groaned to herself. She had a bad feeling about this. She glanced at the door. Did she hear faint footsteps? She couldn't tell. She wasn't sure. She took off her shawl and placed it at the foot of the door to block any light from showing into the hall. Hopefully it would work. Heero glanced at her. She could hear it too?

A few seconds later, there were definitely footsteps coming close to outside their door. She backed away slightly, and turned around just in time to see the highlighted bar finish. They could hear whispering voices on the other side, and she turned her attention back to the door. She glanced over at Heero again, right when he stood up with the disk and put it in his pocket and turned off the computer. The doorknob started to turn, but then stopped. Voices spoke again, and there was the sound of keys jingling. She looked back at Heero helplessly. He kept his eyes on the door. Suddenly, she grabbed him by his hand and pulled him halfway across the room.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I know you're going to hate me for this…" she said. The sound of the keys turning the lock brought her back to the immediate present, and she pulled him towards her by his collar.

Gravity took it from there, and the two fell on top of the love seat. Lips touched roughly, but locked nonetheless. Heero pulled away a bit and stared down at her with shock. She mouthed to him, "please, just play along." He clenched his jaw and fell back on top of her. He put his face next to hers and his hand on her shoulder.

The door opened. Heero and Blaze jolted up, and in the process, Heero's hand slipped down the strap on Blaze's dress, so it rested limply on her arm. She eyed him evilly before she looked back at the men in the doorway. They were dressed in dark blue, and held guns on one side and a club on the other.

Their were three of them, two with their guns drawn. They all started laughing. "Well, well, well…" said the one without his gun in hand. "What have we here?"

"A little busy, are we?" added the one behind him.

Blaze bit her lip and pulled up her strap. The third guard eyed the two suspiciously. Then he demanded, "How did you get in here?"

"It was unlocked." Heero replied. The suspicious one narrowed his eyes. Then Heero added, "I see nothing wrong with wanting some private time."

"Really? Hm…" the guard walked around the room, inspecting everything. The second guard looked behind the door, and picked up Blaze's sash.

"Some reason this was stuffed in the doorway, miss?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Blaze shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I was a bit… busy, if you know what I mean. I must have dropped it when we came in."

The second eyed the first, and the two grinned as if in total understanding. The third, however, was still inspecting things. He eyed the computer the most, then placed his hand on it. "The computer is warm. It's been used. Get them!!" he shouted. Heero narrowed his eyes, and blocked Blaze with one arm. 

The first drew his gun and pointed it at them. "Hands in the air!!" he demanded.

The two sighed in defeat and slowly raised their hands. Two of the guards advanced on them, and the third stood back with his gun poised. The guards were about the grab them, when Heero punched the first guy, and kicked the gun out of the second's hand. The second guard pounced on him, and the fight began. Blaze started to run around the other side of the love seat, but the third guard jumped in front of her. She tried to go around him, but he kept blocking her. She narrowed her eyes, then ripped the part in her dress all the way up to her hip. She dropped to the ground and swept the guy right off of his feet. He fell back and hit his head on the corner of the desk, and lost consciousness.

Heero seemed to have a little bit more difficulty. Once he got one guy off, the other pounced on him. Their guns were forgotten on the floor, as the fight turned into a slugfest. Blaze picked up the gun next to her feet, and aimed. Unfortunately, there was too much moving around, and she was too afraid she'd hit the wrong target. 

She jumped onto the guy that was trying to pin Heero down, and tried to pull him off. He swung his arm back to hit her, but her mind and body switched to automatic and she ducked the flying fist. She grabbed the wrist once it had passed her head, and hit his arm with the other. A sharp crack filled the room, followed by a scream of pain.

The guard leaped off of Heero, savoring his arm. Blaze leaped up and spun a kick, which landed on the man's temple. He flew back and skidded across the coffee table, and didn't get up. She landed, but her high heels made her slip and she twisted her ankle painfully. She clenched her teeth, and watched Heero quickly finish off the last guard. A thick silence followed.

Heero dusted himself off, and looked at Blaze with wide-eyes. "Where'd you learn that?" Heero demanded.

As Blaze gasped she replied, "Learn what??"

"How to fight like that." he pointed out. Then he added, "I thought you had amnesia."

Her eyes turned to ice. "If I wasn't injured right now, then I'd fucking smack you!!" she nearly shouted. "That not being the case, I'll have to wait until we get back!" Then she muttered to herself as Heero helped her up, "Note to self for later reference: Kick Heero's spandex covered little ass!!"

While she was standing, she favored her foot. "So, genius. How do you expect us to leave now without being suspicious?"

Heero pondered this for a split second, then picked her up in a cradle hold. "I'll carry you out…"

"Like I said-"

"…and you'll pretend to be unconscious. I'll say you had too much to drink." Heero finished.

She sighed, and then said, "Fine."

Later….

Heero carried Blaze out of the car and into the base. They were greeted by the guys, and followed Heero as he took Blaze into the small hospital section of the base. Heero checked her in, much to Blaze's disliking. She insisted she was fine, although she couldn't stand. Once Heero left the hospital section, the others followed him suspiciously.

Duo's usual grin suddenly spread unnaturally large. "Hey, Heero…" he started. 

Heero turned and glared at him as usual. "What?"

Duo motioned to his own lips. "That's an interesting shade of lipstick on you, Heero ol' buddy…"

Heero's eyes widened and he quickly wiped off Blaze's lipstick.

Duo patted him hard on the back and said proudly, "Nice job, Yuy."

Heero was left dumbfounded as Duo and the other pilots walked away grinning. He was about to try and explain, but alas… he knew it wouldn't work. They were never going to let him forget this…


	5. “I’ve gotten feedback on what those mess...

****

Chapter 5: "I've gotten feedback on what those messages said…"

Blaze blinked repeatedly, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. After she stretched in her bed, she got up to get dressed. A slight dull pain began to throb in her ankle, and she sat back down on the bed quickly. 'Damn it. It wasn't a dream.' she thought. 'I really did go through all of that crap… and I… Heero… we…. Oh my God. Now would be a good time to fall into an endless pit.' She clenched her fists, handfuls of sheets wrinkled in her palm. She looked down at her ankle with bleary morning eyes, and noticed it was wrapped in an Ace-Bandage. Heero must have taken her to the doctor, where they fixed her up a little bit. She glanced down again at the brown cloth that wrapped her ankle and foot. Well, it looked like the damage wasn't **_that_ **but still…

"HOW EMBARRASSING!!!" she shouted. She paused, then threw her hands to her head in a brand new headache. "Aw, shit… stupid piece of… lousy… damn…urgh…." she grumbled as she limped her way into the bathroom and downed two Tylenol dry. Unfortunately, it would take a while for the stupid drugs to kick in. 

She turned to leave the bathroom when a bright flash blinded her. Once she got rid of the spots she was seeing, she saw a braid fly away. "DUO, YOU ASS!!!!" she shouted. "If I wasn't graced with a minor injury then I would chase you down those stairs and…." of course by this point of time, Duo was already at the bottom of the stairs, and bursting into the dining room.

Quatre choked on his tea, Wufei dropped his waffle he was preparing, and Trowa woke up from the morning paper he was leaning over. Duo laughed maniacally, and held up a Polaroid camera.

"Duo, what in heaven's name-" Quatre started, but was interrupted by Wufei.

"MAXWELL!!!! YOU MADE ME DROP MY BREAKFAST!!!!! IN-" 

"justice." Duo finished. Wufei clamped his mouth shut and narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I know Wufei. I've heard that one before. But this is worth losing a waffle over!!" The Great Shinigami started laughing again.

"Do you ever plan to tell us what is so fascinating?" Trowa asked coldly. Duo had just woken him up from a very good dream about … oh never mind.

"I just got a picture of Blaze when she wakes up in the morning!!" Duo exclaimed, as he waved the picture back and forth the get the image to show.

"Oh, no…." Quatre said quietly. He looked at Duo sympathetically. "You're dead!"

"Eh??" Duo replied in confusion. That wasn't quite the reply he was expecting. "Why can't you just start off with something better. Like, 'Hey! Good job, Duo!' Why do ya gotta say that???"

"Because it's true…" Trowa spoke up. "You're not suppose to see a woman in the morning unless **_she's _**ok with it. You really shouldn't do that."

The door swung open, and Duo stumbled back due to a sharp pull on his braid. "Aaaahhhh!!!! Okay! Okay! Lemme go!! I didn't mean it!! DON'T HARM THE BRAID!!!!!!!!!"

"Cut the melodrama, Duo." Blaze demanded. "Now give me the picture."

"What picture? I have no idea what you're-AAHHH!!! Alright, alright!!" Duo handed Blaze the unflattering morning picture, and she immediately let go of his braid.

"Don't. Try. That. Again." She hissed.

Just then, Heero came into the dining room, up to his elbows in grease. Silence fell across everyone in a New York minute. A quick flush appeared on Blaze's cheeks, and she kept her eyes down. She quickly joined Wufei in the kitchen, ready to make her breakfast. Wufei glared at her. 

"Weak Onna…" he whispered to her.

Blaze reached her arm over his head to pull out the sugar from the cupboard, and stepped harshly on his foot in the process. Wufei stifled himself to keep himself from shouting in protest (and pain.)

"What's going on?" Heero asked suspiciously, as he looked around at everyone. Duo was petting his braid, Blaze kept her back to him and her shoulders hunched, and Wufei's face was red. Whether it was pain, anger, or both, he couldn't tell. Trowa and Quatre kept glancing at each other. Silence answered him. "I asked a question." he growled. He watched as Blaze threw away stuff into the trash can, and walked quickly back and forth, preparing herself some toast.

Heero peered into the trash, and noticed a crumpled up photo. He looked suspiciously at Duo. Duo put his hands up in defense. "Hey, don't look at me!! I didn't do anything!!"

"Duo…" Quatre spoke up.

"Yeah Q?"

"You're always to blame."

"Ouch!" Duo flinched.

Heero shrugged to himself, and walked into the kitchen to wash his hands. Whatever it was, it was small and miniscule. None of his concern. What was his concern was something that couldn't be said in the presence of his **_comrades_**. He glared back at them as they sat innocently at the table. Trowa raised an eyebrow at him, and Duo gave him a thumbs up. Blaze on the other hand, acted at if he wasn't there… that is until Blaze turned around just in time to crash into Heero, which caused her plate of sugar and cinnamon toast to squish right onto his shirt. In the process of all of this, God was laughing.

"Heero, what's the big idea??" she demanded. "Couldn't you have waited until I was out of the kitchen??"

Heero narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't start with me." he whispered to her, locking cold eye contact. They both looked away quickly. Okay, so perhaps his main concern was something he couldn't talk about to **_anyone_**… After all, it appeared that his "main concern" was trying to avoid ever confronting the topic.

Duo chose this time to start chanting, "Heero and Blaze, sittin' in a tree-" **_*splash*_**

Blaze emptied her glass of milk on Duo's head, and stomped out of the room in her frustration, muttering choice words under her breath.

Heero's usual glare turned especially harsh as he stalked out of the room as well. "I'll go change my shirt…" he muttered.

When Heero came back down after cleaning himself up, and gathered nearly all of the pilots and took them into the dining room for discussion. He noticed Duo was gone washing his hair. "How much longer is Duo going to be gone?" They all shrugged. "We have a lot to discuss…" he added. "Someone can just tell him what he missed out on."

"Alright, Heero. So what's the situation?" Quatre asked.

"I've gotten feedback on what those messages said." Heero started. "First off, there isn't going to be a war immediately. Hampshire is only toying with the colonies."

"It's a bluff??" Wufei snarled.

Heero nodded. "He doesn't have all of the necessities yet. He does have the permission, though. He is starting to reopen the production of mobile suits."

"So that gives us time…" Trowa responded.

"Yes. But there's more." Heero said. "Hampshire doesn't have a military force large enough to start a war. He has persuaded ESUN to start turning all Preventers into his battle force. Every Preventers Base will become a military base where mobile suit productions will be started."

"How much time do we have, then?" Wufei demanded.

"Not sure yet. It hasn't been established that far. Whenever they're ready, I suppose." Heero tapped the table with his fingers.

"I suppose it's up to us then, to make sure he isn't ready." Trowa said, as a small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"In the mean time," Quatre spoke up, "the colonies need to build up their defenses."

Just then, Duo came in. "Hey! You guys started without me??" he whined.

"Shut up, Maxwell." Wufei said.

"I'll tell you everything later." Heero told Duo. "In the meantime, I have other things to talk about."

"Like what flavor Blaze's lip gloss is??" Duo prodded Heero's side with his elbow.

"Keep pushing, Duo." Heero growled.

"No really, that's a good question…" Quatre added. Everyone looked at him with shock. He shrugged as a smile played on his boyish features. "What? Don't tell me none of you are curious…"

Trowa cleared his throat and Wufei crossed his arms. Then all eyes fell on Heero. Heero closed his eyes in aggravation.

"Strawberry…" he said through clenched teeth. A satisfied grin fell on everyone's face. "There, are you all happy now? Can we get onto business?"

"By all means, Heero. Begin." Quatre said, waving his hand for him to continue.

"I already talked to Dr. J. about this…" Heero took a breath, then started to explain things. "I don't think Blaze has amnesia like she claims."

"Oh no… not this again…." Duo whined, covering his eyes with his hand.

"I'm serious!" Heero said harshly. "We got caught when we were retrieving information, and she used **_very_** extreme martial arts. No one knows how to do that unless they've had years of practice."

"This couldn't possibly be-" Duo started.

Wufei interrupted him. "Coincidence? I think that reason has been worn down."

"But what about when I had talked to her? She wasn't lying." Trowa reminded.

"Isn't there a possibility that she could be lying? A professional can get away with it. She can be a professional." Heero said.

"For who, is the question." Quatre noted calmly. "Honestly Heero, I'm not sure about this."

"You don't believe me." Heero narrowed his eyes into a harsh glare. The blonde boy twiddled his thumbs nervously, but shook his head.

"Well, I believe him." Wufei said arrogantly.

"I don't." Trowa said. "I talked to her. I know she's telling the truth. I had amnesia before, you know. I can admit that I was able to find a lot of myself in her eyes. I'm not backing down from it."

Duo rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his headache. "But… she's so… innocent. I don't know what to make of it…"

Heero shrugged with indifference. "Whatever is going on with her, it'll show itself again in time. And I know I won't be the only one to see it."

* * * * * *

A week had passed by, with no news and no missions. Everyone was getting apprehensive. Blaze on the other hand, wasn't fazed nearly as much. She was still doing her part in the main kitchen as the unofficial dishwasher, and she had always disappeared on her free time. She had told Quatre even if stuff did start happening, she probably keep doing what she was doing. She was counting on never being part of another mission again.

Quatre and Trowa played chess, while Heero, Duo and Wufei played cards. Go Fish, to be exact. Duo sighed, which turned into a large yawn. "Do you have any 4's?" he asked Heero.

Heero narrowed his eyes, and handed him a card. Heero peered at Wufei. "Do you have any 9's?"

Wufei smirked. "Go fish."

Heero's frown became more apparent. "I hate this game. Who invented this, anyway?" He drew a card, and slunk further into his seat grumpily.

"Checkmate." said Trowa.

Quatre stuck out his tongue at him. "Darn you and you're intelligent ways…" The blonde pilot muttered. Then he stretched in his seat. "Hey… do you guys ever wonder where the heck Blaze goes? Lets go look for her."

"Good idea." they all said, and quickly jumped up, eager to get away from their current positions.

"Where do you think she'd be?" Duo wondered, scratching his head thoughtfully. His common thinking action.

"We could check our room…" Heero mumbled. "But I doubt she'd be there… she never is."

"Hey…" Trowa started. "Do you suppose she found out about the lounge room downstairs?"

"Ah…" Wufei responded, eyes narrowed. But then again, his eyes were always narrowed.

All five pilots went down the elevator to the underground floor, where they could already hear the music coming through the double doors of the lounge and bar. Jazz. They all walked through nonchalantly, hands in their pockets. They found an empty table in the corner, which was off balance and tipped slightly. They quickly pulled up old wooden chairs. They scanned the room, while Duo left to get chips, salsa, and some beer (preferably).

There was one man playing a piano bar song, which was placed on the left side of the small stage. Preventers lounged around listening and watching, others playing cards or in lazy conversation. The room smelled of cigarette smoke, but mild at least. Most Preventers didn't smoke. Whatever the case, it was shady and mellow. The lights were dim, making it hard to try and find their subject.

"I wonder where she is…" Quatre said out loud, though more to himself. Wufei shrugged, as he drummed his fingers on the table impatiently, waiting for Duo to get back.

"She may not be here…" Heero said.

"She may very well be in her room." Trowa suggested.

The young men got up to leave, right when Duo came back with their food. "What?!" he exclaimed. "That's it?? We're leaving??? Damn! At least sit here and eat this… I didn't waste my money for nothin', ya know…" They sat back down with a groan.

The song changed to one something different, something also played by a piano. A couple of Preventers cheered.

"Thanks…" came the female voice, shy but familiar. All of the pilots whipped their heads to the stage.

"Of course. Of course she'd be ON THE STAGE…." Duo said. "Where else would she be??"

"Alright… well, this song is one of my favorites… or at least so far from what I've heard." Blaze said, tucking a free strand of light brown hair behind her ear. She was completely dressed in black, so she didn't stand out. A dim spotlight and the miniscule stage was all that made her acknowledgeable from everyone else.

Suddenly Wufei stood up with agitation. "Woman! What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

Heads turned, and Blaze finally noticed the familiar group. A large grin spread across her face. Her shyness was blinked away, and her mischievous expression came back. Oh this was going to be fun… She cleared her throat, and the man on the piano started the piece over again. Wufei had nothing more to do than to sit down and wait until she was through. She slowly started to sing.

_"Try to think that love's not around_

But it's uncomfortably near.

My old heart ain't gainin' no ground

Because my Angel Eyes ain't here.

Angel Eyes that old devil sent

They glow unbearably bright.

Need I say that my love's misspent

Misspent with Angel Eyes tonight…."

Quatre glowed at this. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "I didn't know she could sing like that!!"

"I doubt any of us did…" Trowa replied, and stole at glance at Heero who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

_"So drink up all you people._

Order anything you see

Have fun you happy people

the laughs and the joke's on me

Pardon me, but I gotta run

the fact's uncommonly clear.

Gotta find who's now number one

and why my Angel Eyes..."

She turned her eyes across the hazy room, and made eye contact with Heero and his cold stare. Despite the fact that she was halfway across the room, something in her expression sent a cold chill down his spine, causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

__

"Oh where is my Angel Eyes?

'Scuse me while I disappear...

Angel Eyes… Angel Eyes….."

She ended her song, and the room applauded, the pilots included. Except for Wufei and Heero, who kept glaring at her with suspicion. She quickly hopped off of the stage, waving a thanks to the pianist. She walked over to the group, with her hands on her hips. "What're you guys doing here??" she asked curiously.

"Looking for you." Wufei said arrogantly, and crossed his arms. 

"Aww… how sweet…I feel so loved." she said overly sweetly.

"So is this where ya disappear to??" Duo asked, as he pulled up a chair for her. She took the seat gratefully.

"Yeah… I overheard some guys saying they were going to come down here. I've been coming down ever since. I really like the music." she grinned, and dipped a tortilla chip into the salsa.

"You sang really well!" Quatre said brightly.

Blaze chuckled. "Thanks!" she said, as she reached for another chip.

"Where'd you learn that song?" Heero asked monotonously.

"Someone had played it on the Jukebox over there." she pointed to the old jukebox next to the entrance. "I liked it so much that I listened to it every now and then when I came."

Heero placed another question on her. "How did these Preventers know you?"

"They didn't." she shot back, her words containing more of a bite than she meant. "They're like that with everyone." she explained. She cross her arms in agitation. "What is this, Heero? An interrogation?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea…" he mumbled to himself.

"I heard that…" she snapped. "You're such a mood spoiler, Heero!" she pouted. "You can't ever let me have any fun, can you??"

"It depends on what you consider fun…" Heero growled.

Duo chose this time to intervene. "Heero, buddy… heh… bad choice of words…**_really _**bad choice of words…"

Wufei snorted. "Maxwell, you're just American. You're mind can make linoleum seem perverted."

Blaze scoffed at this. "Excuse me, but what if **_I'm_** American??"

Trowa raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean **_'if'?_** I haven't the slightest doubt in my mind that you are."

Duo grinned his infamous grin, and clapped Wufei across the back in a buddy-like good ol' fashion. "American nothing, my Chinese amigo! I'm 19. In fact, we all are. Not to mention males, or at least I certainly hope so. With the exception of dear Blaze, of course. That's something that you can't help but know that we guys have in common. It's a… special bond! Don't act as if you don't have any of the same thoughts that I do!"

Blaze started laughing at this. "Yes… bonding in just below the mid-region, right?"

Quatre choked on his bottled water that he had bought during Blaze and Heero's argument. "Blaze!" he exclaimed. Even in the haze of the lounge, the flush in his cheeks and ears were evident. 

Trowa stifled a laugh, while Duo laughed in surprise. She shrugged off their shock. "It's not like I don't know what you guys are talking about. I hope you know females can get your stupid sexual connotations just as easily as the next. We're all people of similar minds…"

"That's bold to say…" Trowa said, raising they eyebrow of his only visible eye.

"Well it's true…" she scoffed. "We women think the same thing as men. Only with things like love and other similar emotions mixed into it."

"Ah, the perspective of a female…" Duo sighed.

"Like guys don't think about those things too?" Quatre said defensively, and a little hurt.

"Love sucks." Wufei huffed.

"Then you've never fallen…" Blaze replied. Then she made a 'tsk, tsk' sound. "Wufei's too tough for love, huh? So much you are deprived of."

"And I suppose you have?" Wufei shot back with his ebony black eyes.

"No… but I get the impression that it feels great…" she grinned.

"Another bad choice of words…" Duo said, shaking his head shamefully.

Blaze laughed and replied, "No, those were the precise words that I was looking for."

Duo raised an eyebrow, and thought of making a comment, but was cut short by Heero.

"Duo, shut up." Heero demanded. "Just… stop thinking."

"Aw, now that hurt…" Duo said with mournful eyes.

Blaze patted his head. "There, there little one."


	6. “Bakayaro…” the man hissed through clenc...

AN: GAH!!!! SORRY! SORRY SORRY SORRY…. I know these things keep coming out slower and slower…. -_-;; Well at least it's here, ne? ^_^;; I hope you enjoy! And I will try to get them out faster.

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Chapter 6: "Bakayaro…" the man hissed through clenched teeth. That voice! She knew who this was!

Relena Peacecraft slammed her hands onto her desk in frustration, and stood up from her leather chair. How could this happen?? Everything that she had worked so hard for was being torn apart like tissue paper. How long had she strived for peace? The idea was practically impossible in a world that is so familiar with war. The attempt of peace had destroyed her entire home kingdom, and nearly all who lived there. Still, despite the extreme sacrifice, peace was eventually achieved, and by her no less. She knew she was young and was originally inexperienced. Still, the idea itself was old, and so the decrepit men she had to convince knew what she was talking about. Somehow, by some amazing act of God and a bit of luck, she was able to achieve the dream that had killed an entire kingdom.

Naturally, it seemed to be too good to last. Relena's ways of calm talks and innocent persuasion (which wasn't uncommon in politics) had won her much respect, and the most important position. Still, Hampshire surpassed her in nearly every field. His ways of persuasion had been worked on throughout nearly his entire life, and was much more familiar to the world of politics than Relena was. His words turned hers to dust, and in so forth also turned the ideas of upholding peace to dust as well.

It was taking the Pacifist all of her will-power to momentarily keep her well-spoken ways and not throw objects aimlessly around the room. Hampshire had beaten her in the first major battle: he was able to persuade people into war. Now he was granted the power she once had, and he was abusing it profusely. Relena was returning to nothing more than the young girl that she was originally meant to be, and had no way of regaining her right of position and authority. Still, like the stubborn young woman that she was, she wasn't about to give up. Unfortunately, her only main friends who could help her in such an area were all from the Operation Meteor and Mariemaia wars, and were soldiers themselves. It's unbelievable the type of things the press would be able to come up with the fact that the Pacifist's friends are all ex-soldiers.

Still… despite the fact that Relena wasn't able to collect help from her friends in front of the eyes of the public, didn't mean that she couldn't get their help at all. She knew that Hampshire was up to more than it seemed. Yes, he publicly and legally was able to wage war on the colonies. Of course not everything is ever shown in full. She trusted Hampshire and his honesty just about as much as she had trusted Treize and Dekim Barton. Hampshire was a snake in an expensive suit. Despite all of the facts and all of the action that is being taken, one thing still baffled Relena Peacecraft. What exactly is Hampshire's reason for starting a war with the colonies?

Blaze tossed and turned under her sheets, searching for that perfect position so she could fall asleep. Her attempts were futile, and she blew out a deep breath into the darkness of the room. Her eyes itched with the need for sleep, and her legs ached. 'Why is it that when you want to go to sleep the most, your body has to be sore?' she thought. Her eyes fell to the closed blinds of the glass sliding door. City light came in through the cracks, giving the room a yellow tinge. She turned her head over to the sleeping form next to her in his own bed, and frowned with envy. Some people had all the luck.

'I want to look at the clock…' Blaze thought to herself. 'No wait. I don't. I don't want to know how much sleep I've lost…'

After ten more minutes of debating amongst the voices in her head, Blaze decided to get up. There could be only one destination at such an hour as this. Blaze left the room and made her way to the kitchen.

When she left the room quietly, nothing but blackness greeted her eyes. There was not a single source of light, and it must have been so early in the morning that even the late night workers had turned in. She felt her hand along the wall, until her foot ungracefully found the stairs. Without the bar, she knew she would have tumbled down and ended in a heap. The stairs were concrete, so that had very little appeal. She breathed a sigh of relief, but quietly.

When she finally reached the bottom, her eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness. Still, she could only make out shadows against the gloom. Her squinted eyes wandered the hangar, and her eyes fell on one of the gundams. The darkness kept her from being able to distinguish which was one it was. Still, curiosity got the best of her and she tip-toed toward it. 'I'm not going to get into it…' she thought to herself. 'I just want to look at it…' If there was one thing that was getting the better of her interest lately, it was mechas. Blaze took a step forward and a soft sigh, when someone tackled her from behind.

Her and her attacker both fell to the ground. She felt strong calloused hands, the hands of a man, grab her left wrist and wring it behind her back as she was pinned on her stomach. Panic filled her, followed by a rush of adrenaline. Blaze snapped back her right hand in a fist, and caught the opponent in the nose. That caused his grip on her to loosen, all she needed to break loose. She wrenched her hand free and reached behind her. Once she grabbed the man's shirt, she pulled him over her, where he fell on his back.

As she pushed herself up, she heard him get up as well. A growl escaped his throat, and though it sounded slightly familiar, she didn't dare waste a second thinking about it. She placed all her weight on both hands, and brought her feet up and together, kicking the attacker in the chest. She heard the air escape his lungs, and took this opportunity to sweep him with her legs. She didn't hear the satisfying thud that comes when someone falls. Instead, she heard the slight scrape of something against the hard floor, and then the sound of feet landing skillfully.

There was a moment, as both weighed each other's skill in the dark, and weighed their possibility of winning. Suddenly the man, whoever he was, ran forward. Blaze watched the dark form of him draw back his fist, and she blocked herself just in time for his punch. She flinched in pain. Immediately, before she could be punched anymore, she back flipped out of his reach. One part of her mind screamed out questions, and the other screamed out demands. Her breathing was quick and shallow, and colors danced before her eyes. The scuffled sound of running feet brought her back to the immediate present. The enemy threw a punch, but she sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and somersaulted him over, where he landed on his back. 'How did I know he was going to punch me??' the thought flitted in and out of her mind.

"Bakayaro…" the man hissed through clenched teeth. That voice! She knew who this was!!

She took a breath to speak, but it was immediately kicked out. She fell back onto one of the metal rolling trays, which broke under her weight and clattered to the ground with her on top. He was on her in seconds, and kept her pinned by her wrists. She didn't struggle, she couldn't. All her mind was focused on was gaining back the oxygen that was robbed from her.

The sound of footsteps stopped both of them, and the sound of voices.

"What the HELL IS GOING ON?! IT'S 4 IN THE **_FUCKING_** MORNING!!!!" raged the short-tempered Duo.

"Someone find the light!" demanded Quatre.

At that note, the florescent lighting of the hangar came, thus blinding Blaze momentarily. She blinked multiple times before focusing her gaze above her. "Wufei!!" she shouted. Wufei's harsh ebony eyes stared back, just as surprised as hers.

"Blaze?!" Wufei demanded. "But… Where… How did you…." The surprise in his eyes faded, and he turned his look to Heero, who had been the one to find the light switch.

Blaze followed his pointed stare, and saw as Heero nodded in confirmation, and a grin played at his lips. "What the hell is going on??" she demanded.

"That's what I said!!!" Duo raged, his hair in a complete disarray. His clothes were wrinkled and uneven, as if he had hastily dressed himself.

"We should be asking you that." Wufei hissed. He didn't get up, he didn't let her go.

"Wufei, get off of me!!" Blaze demanded. Claustrophobia started to replace her adrenaline. "What the hell is your problem??"

"You're dangerous!!" Wufei retorted.

"What?!" Blaze exclaimed. "What the hell are you talking about?!?! You attacked me!!! I only reacted!!!"

Wufei got off of her, and crossed his arms once he stood up. "Really? Is that so, Blaze? Using martial arts is just… 'reacting'?" His dark eyes bore flaming holes into her. If looks could kill….

Blaze stood dumbfounded, her mouthing opening and closing like a fish out of water. Finally she was able to stutter, "Bu…. But… I didn't **_plan_** to do that!! It just…. Came out of me!!"

Wufei didn't reply and narrowed his Asian eyes at her with deep skepticism. The other pilots seemed dumbfounded by what they had woken up to, and barely understood what was going on. Still, they got the gist, and all eyes were on Blaze as she searched for words to explain herself. She held out her arms as if understanding would hopefully fall into them, but finally dropped her arms limply to her sides in defeat.

"I swear on everything that can be sworn on that I don't know what I'm doing when it happens. I only fought with you because you attacked me in the dark!" She protested one last time.

"Woman, you were going towards my gundam!!" Wufei shouted, and waved his right hand at Shenlong to emphasize his point.

Eyes widened at this, burrowing deeper holes into her. Blaze wanted nothing more than to retreat inside herself where she could hopefully sort things out herself without any outside pressure. On a second thought of her wish, Blaze took back the thought. Her inner self was just as confusing if not more so than the situation. No answers resided in herself, and she knew that. Distress brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. Everyone including herself wanted answers, but there's nothing to give them. 

Even so, she wasn't sure if she wanted her memory back. Something plagued against the thought of getting back what her previous life was. She felt like nothing more than a rag doll being pulled along in whatever direction events seemed to drag her. She had no control. Not even over herself.

"What were you doing near the gundams??" Heero demanded, his harsh tone bringing her back to the immediate present.

"I… I was just going to look at them… I again swear that I didn't touch any of them, and I wasn't going to. I was just partially thinking about the mechas." Then she quickly added, "You guys do know that I've been interested in mechas lately, alright?"

Wufei grabbed a tuft of her shirt, and pulled her back to face him. "Tell the truth, woman! We want no more of your lies!! What is going on?! Who the hell are you?!"

"Let me go!!" she demanded, but Wufei ignored her order.

"Wufei…" Quatre started.

"You know what?!" Blaze finally shouted. "No matter what I say, it's never good enough!! Tell the truth?! I don't know what the truth is!! I don't know anything!!! What I do know, I tell in honesty, but you people seem to have a slight malfunction in understanding that word!!! What the hell am I suppose to tell you?!?! What?! I'm a spy?! I work for some big organization that is trying to kill you all?! Fine! I'll say that! You know why?! _Because you guys don't want the truth!! You only want to hear what you want to believe!!"_

With that thrown into the air, Blaze kneed Wufei in his gut, and jumped back from him, her shirt now free from his iron grip. Wufei sucked in air harshly, and bared his teeth in anger and pain. Trowa and Heero pulled out their guns and took quick and steady aim.

"Another thing!" Blaze yelled at them all. "If I retaliate in any way, it means I'm the enemy! Isn't that right? None of you will acknowledge the fact that Wufei had roughly grabbed me, and so you won't see what I did as a way of defense!" Blaze started to take steps back.

"Don't move, Blaze!" Heero demanded.

"SHOVE IT, YUY!!!" she screamed. Duo stood in confused shock at this young woman's mouth. "You should be happy now! You are, aren't you? Now everyone else is on your side, right?"

"You brought this on yourself." Heero stated stoically.

"Shut up." she hissed. "You don't know anything! You're messing with something and you don't even know what it is! Where do you get off telling me what I am?? I don't even know! You don't even know anything factual about me!! What facts do you have that I am your enemy??"

"You claim to have amnesia, but your actions show something different." Heero pointed out.

"All I can really notice is my weird way of knowing how to fight. Even then, it only comes out to defend myself, and I've only used against those guys at that mission thing we went to, and when Wufei had attacked me **_in the dark!!!_**" she shot back. Her eyes fell on Trowa, and her anger blended with sorrow. "Trowa…." she started, her voice just loud enough for him to hear her. "I thought you believed me.… I thought you understood, you told me you did!" Tears welled up at the corners of her azure blue eyes.

"Blaze, my actions are more out of immediate caution than anything else. Right now you are dangerous." Trowa responded quietly.

Blaze laughed dryly to herself. "Dangerous? Where'd you get that idea? Even if I could fight well, it still means nothing. There are five of you, and one of me." Her eyes fell, and her shoulders dropped, as all rushes of anger started to leave her. "Besides…. I wouldn't want to fight you. Any of you. Even you Heero, even though you're temporarily as close to an enemy as I have. You've all become my friends. I… I couldn't do that even if I tried." She started to walk backwards, her eyes on Heero and his gun. Heero made no move to shoot her, and just calculated her with his stare. "But… then again, none of you would believe me, would you?"

Blaze spun on her heel and walked briskly out of the hangar, and onto where the beach was before the tears actually did fall and they all saw it.

Everyone let out a long-held breath. Minutes passed before Duo spoke. "Do you think she'll come back?"

"Later…" Heero replied.

"Should someone go talk to her?" Quatre said, his thought slipping off his lips.

"No… just let her be. I'm sure the last thing she needs is someone to go and pester her some more." Trowa replied quietly.

"Still…." Quatre said. "There were some serious misunderstandings, and I can feel her hurting, Trowa. She's going to need reassurance some time."

"There are no misunderstandings!" said Wufei, as he walked toward them briskly. "There is something wrong with that woman!"

"Yeah, Wu-man… and I'm sure you just really helped her confusion a whole tone…" Duo shot back, rubbing his aching eyes.

"I'm going to bed." Trowa said finally.

"Good idea!" Duo exclaimed. "I say we all follow Trowa's brilliant example."

As everyone left to go back to bed, Heero stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the door of the hangar thoughtfully.

Blaze stood outside on the sand, with the waves barely reaching her feet. It was still early in the morning, and most of the sky was dark. Still, a light blue light started to spread from the east. The ocean before her was still as dark as the sky, with barely a dividing line. She felt the icy waters with cold fear, and stared at the lapping salty waters with hatred. She growled loudly to herself, grabbed a nearby rock, and threw it into the waves. "WHO AM I?!" she screamed with all of the built up aggravation, despondency, and confusion she had. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?!"

Blaze slumped into the cold sand, as her salty tears mingled with the waters. She pushed herself back away so the ocean couldn't touch her, and drew her legs up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them in a fetal position. Her pajamas were now wet and covered in sand, but that was the last thing on her mind. Blaze was also tired, having gotten no sleep, but of all things, she refused to go inside. 'let them feel sorry…' she thought to herself. 'if they do, then someone will eventually come out here for you…'

Of course it was much to her surprise when it was eventually Heero who came out and found her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

AN: Ahh…. On that note…. REVIEW!!!!! PLEASE!!!! *large watery eyes* *quivering bottom lip* Arigatou!! Oh yeah… and btw, Bakayaro is asshole/bastard in Japanese…. ~.~;;


	7. “Do you want to know who you are?” Dr J ...

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Chapter 7: "Do you want to know who you are?" Dr. J. asked.

Blaze heard the crunching sound of someone walking on the sand, and she still refused to look behind her. If she looked, then that meant that she gave in and that she wasn't as mad anymore. She wasn't about to show weakness to whoever it was, despite the urge to find out who the confronter was. 'perhaps it's Trowa… or Quatre…' she thought to herself with mild interest. She dug her frozen toes into the biting sand, and watched with forced intent at the small sand crab that she had disturbed.

"Blaze…"

Blaze's body went rigid at the sound of Heero's voice, and she knew he recognized her surprise. A cold hate settled on her melancholy mood. All the more reason to ignore the intruder. Heero, of all people, shouldn't be the one to come and retrieve her from her solitude. She didn't respond, and aside from her moment of tenseness, she showed no sign of noticing his presence.

Silence followed momentarily, and then the sound of his footsteps told her that he was still going to approach her. She watched his lengthened shadow come closer to her own. She darted her eyes back to the dark waters of James Bay. While she hated having him near her, and she wanted nothing more than to strangle him, she still felt a slight sense of awe that of all the pilots to come, he was the one. The messages that she was receiving from him were contradicting each other. 

Her surprise didn't end there. She felt the warmth of a blanket fall onto her icy shoulders. Despite her stubbornness, she tugged the material closer to her. It was rough and not the greatest of qualities, which was expected from a Preventers base. Still, it was better than nothing.

She still kept her code of silence, and did her best to ignore him, as he stood next to her with his arms crossed. Finally, he spoke to her with his monotonous voice. "Come inside Blaze. It's cold."

"I don't care." she snapped.

"You'll get sick." Heero replied logically.

"I've been out here for hours. I'm sure it won't make a difference if I go inside now." she shot back. "Besides, what do you care?"

Heero sighed in response, and another moment passed before he decided to answer. "I didn't set you up, you know."

"You don't trust me just the same, and you're pleased enough to know that none of the others trust me now either!" she said harshly. Heero didn't respond. She turned her blue eyes on him with a harsh glare, but he kept his eyes on the bay. "Why do you insist on making my life so terrible?"

"I don't." Heero replied coolly. "That was never my intention."

"Well you're doing a pretty good job at it…"

"You assume too much, Blaze." Heero said, and met here azure blue eyes with his Prussian ones. "I had merely told them what you had done on our mission, and they didn't believe me. I simply stated that it would show itself again."

"Che…right." she muttered, and looked away from him.

Heero continued. "I had never told them that you would act out against one of us. I didn't say you are our enemy."

"But you think it, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have reason to tell them, and you wouldn't have reason not to trust me." Blaze pointed out.

"I don't trust anyone." Heero shot back.

"That's a lie."

"You wouldn't know if what I say is a lie or not."

"The same goes for me, don't you think? I have that right just like anyone else, don't I? But you're certainly quick to assume that I lie… I have nothing more to say to you." Blaze said. She got up and walked away.

Heero followed her, his temper rising with her immaturity to his responses. For once, he was actually trying to apologize!! He didn't give that to anyone. He grabbed her wrist. "Blaze..!" He spun her around to face him.

She squeezed her eyes shut and plugged her ears. She immediately started humming that familiar tune to herself, to drown out any attempts he might make at talking to her. She was going to make him work for it.

Heero stopped on the protest he was about to give, when he heard the song she hummed. That… that was familiar. But the minute he attempted to focus on the tune, the familiarity flew out of his head as quickly as it came. He stared at her, puzzled. She opened her eyes and glared at him, then raised an eyebrow at his odd expression.

"What??" she demanded.

"What are you singing?" Heero replied slowly.

"I might as well not tell you, since you'll think I'm lying." Blaze mocked.

"Stop it. Just answer the question." Heero replied.

Blaze narrowed her eyes at him. What was he doing now? What the hell was he trying to prove?? "I don't know…" she finally answered, still suspicious. "Do you know it? I don't remember it, but I know it…"

"What are the words?" Heero asked.

"I don't know." she replied. Moments passed as they stood staring at each other. Finally Blaze said, "Are you done now?"

Heero glared at her and set his jaw like a stubborn child. "Yes." he said.

"Good. Then I'm leaving." she turned on her heel and left Heero out in the cold of the morning.

Heero growled to himself in annoyance. Fine. If she wanted him to leave her alone, then that's exactly what he'll do. He'll leave her alone until it bothers her. He knew she needed some attention, but he wasn't about to be the one to give it to her.

*Two Weeks Later*

Wufei slammed down a couple of reports onto the dining room table that everyone sat around. "Three more bases have been put under Hampshire's management!" Wufei announced.

"That's twenty so far…" Duo said, and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Twenty over the entire Earth." Trowa pointed out.

"Trowa has a point," Quatre piped up. "Twenty for the whole of the Earth isn't very much at all. There are a surmountable amount of bases. Hampshire is having a slow progress. I wonder what's stopping him?"

"Relena." Heero replied. "She's using whatever little power she has left in order to slow down his plans. That's giving us time."

"Time that is being wasted as we sit here!" Wufei snarled. "We need to fight!!"

"For once Wuffie, I think you're right." Duo turned to look at Heero. "We haven't gotten any missions! Nothing! Why are we just sitting here? What are the docs trying to do? That old goon is going to build up his forces and blow up all the colonies before we ever get into our gundams!!"

"We can't take action first." Heero stated. "Hampshire hasn't attacked yet. We are the colonies' _defense_. If we attack him first, then that will give him reason to attack the colonies."

"Man…" Duo growled. "I hate it when you're right…"

* * * * * * * * * *

Heero subconsciously listened to the shower run, as he played solitaire on his laptop. He had sent Dr. J. a report on Blaze's defense against Wufei. If anyone could find out who she was, it was Dr. J. It wasn't necessarily about trust, either, although Heero didn't trust anyone to begin with. Whatever the case, she may have been someone important… an assassin of some kind…

Heero's mind started to wander to the possibilities of her identity.

She had battle scars. She had amnesia. She claimed to have woken up on a beach. Perhaps she was an assassin of some organization, and she was captured and they _attempted_ to murder her.

Just as he heard the shower water turn off, he received an email. 'About time…' he thought.

He opened the email, and an immediate video connection was made with Dr. J. "Good evening, Heero." Dr. J. grinned his usual maniacal grin. "I have a bit of something to show you, and Blaze for that matter."

"You found out who she is." Heero stated, as a small grin crossed his handsome features.

"You didn't make this easy." Dr. J. sighed. "But then again, neither did she. Where is she?"

"In the shower."

"I'll wait."

"……….."

"Has she done anything else out of the ordinary? Remembered anything?" Dr. J. asked.

"Nothing. She still hums that tune every now and again." Heero replied.

A long moment of silence passed, then Dr. J. asked, "Are you concerned for her?"

"I want to find out who she is." Heero replied.

"That wasn't the question-" Dr. J. started, but then Blaze came out of the bathroom in a black polyester nightgown that clung to her from the steam. She was running a brush through her hair, ignoring Heero's presence. Instead she hummed the tune to herself.

"Blaze," Heero said flatly, being sure not to look at her. "Dr. J. requests your presence."

Blaze gave him a funny look. "Stop talking weird, soldier boy. Simply say: Dr. J. would like to talk to you."

"I see you two are getting along wonderfully," Dr. J. stated lightheartedly.

"Che… yeah right." Blaze muttered. Heero clenched his jaw and ignored her. Blaze walked over behind Heero, and leaned on his shoulder with her arm. "Yessir?" Heero glared at her coldly as her wet hair dripped onto his bare shoulder.

"Do you want to know who you are?" Dr. J. asked.

Blaze's eyes widened, then furrowed in confusion. "What the…." Her eyes narrowed and fell on the silent man next to her. "**_Heero_**…. You know, for someone who doesn't talk much, you certainly can't seem to keep yourself from gossiping!!"

"Don't get angry at him, his reasons are justified." Dr. J. said sternly. "Just answer my question."

"I don't know." she replied.

"Good enough." Dr. J. said. "Read the file next to my image. It is your data."

Heero's attention turned sharply at this, and clicked on the text. Dr. J. spoke to them as 

they read.

"You're name is Ceri Deirdre, and you are currently 18 years old. You were born on April 2nd on colony 08, and I trained you since you were seven.

You had been a stowaway on my mobile suit carrier, and it was Heero that found you. You came to me after the unexpected loss of your parents. I adopted you and trained you at your request."

"Wha… wha…." Blaze stuttered.

"I would like to point out that I did not want to train you, because you are a female, and that is directly dangerous to _your_ safety. Women aren't meant to be soldiers. They're naturally too emotional, and too easy to provoke and capture."

"I resent that remark…" Blaze said through clenched teeth, a failing attempt to keep her attention from focusing on something so unexpected.

"Clearly your personality has not changed since when I first found you." Dr. J. said, with a note of sadness. "As I was saying…"

Blaze mentally blocked out his words. All she could hear was the muffled sound of her jagged breath, and the pounding inside her head. She wasn't ready to remember being a gundam pilot. She hushed the voices in her head.

Dr. J's voice came back. "I would have left you alone to live a happy life, but your skills persisted to be released, and our allies are limited. I have told you all you need to know to continue, and I have left enough out to where you may remember your past on your own time. Those are only the basic of the basic facts."

Heero stared as Blaze attempted to regain her composure and her sanity. Her hand clenched his shoulder harshly, and she was quite unaware of her strength. Her voice came through her breath, shaky and if she had words, they were nonsense.

"Heero, I leave you to take care of her. She'll need to start training soon in order to regain all of those years of training that I had taught her. I suspect it will come much quicker this time." Dr. J. said sympathetically.

"I…" Blaze stuttered. "I… don't want the responsibility. I don't want to be a gundam pilot."

"But you are needed." Dr. J. replied. "They will all need you. Heero will need you. The colonies need you."

She turned up her azure blue eyes at him, burning him with blue flames. "I told you I don't want it."

"Rest, Ceri. You need it. I won't be able to force you. A fighter not willing to try is no fighter at all." Dr. J. said, then the video image blacked out.

"I hate him…" she said through clenched teeth, as she sank to her knees.

"Blaze…" Heero started, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"And I hate you too!" she shouted. "Don't touch me! Don't ever touch me, Heero!! You had no right whatsoever to do that! None! It's my life, my past! When I want to know I'll know! It's my life, not yours! My past isn't your past!"

"Yes it is." Heero replied quietly. "He trained both of us."

"Oh shut up. You don't even remember me, do you? That's good because I don't want to remember you either! I don't want to have anything to do with you!!" Blaze cried. She wrapped her arms around herself and bent forward with her head to the carpet.

"You don't have to." Heero said simply.

"Leave me alone." Blaze muttered to him. Her wet hair fell over her face, obscuring her from him, but he could tell that she was crying.

Without a word spoken, Heero got up and left her in their room. 'why does she hold back from her past?' Heero thought. Her anger at him made him feel a little sorry, though he would never say it. Still, he didn't let his focus rest on that. He knew very well that they did need all the help they could get. Their list of allies was growing thin. The only military group, the Preventers, were being transformed into Hampshire's soldiers. Not to mention that Hampshire reopened the mobile suit factories, and they had obtained information of a new mobile suit model.

The only ally that the colonies had in the entire organization of ESUN was Miss Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft.

Blaze walked up to HeavyArms, and pounded on the panel of the right leg. Trowa's lethal hair appeared, followed by the rest of his head. "Yes?"

"I need to talk to you!" Blaze demanded.

"What did Heero do now?"

Blaze laughed despite herself. "This is sadly becoming a routine, isn't it?"

"More than you realize." Trowa jumped off of his gundam with feline agility, wiping his greased hands on a washcloth.

"I'll make it short then," Blaze said, crossing her arms. She peered at him with her blue eyes. "Did you know that Heero told Dr. J. all about me?"

"No." Trowa replied quietly, as he leaned against the leg of his gundam.

"Yeah, well he did. And Dr. J. found out all about my past." Blaze said angrily.

"Why does that upset you?" Trowa asked.

"Because I should only find out if I want to. I wasn't given a choice in the matter!" Blaze began to pout. "He said I was a gundam pilot and that he trained me. Now he wants me to be trained all over again so that I will fight with you."

"Do you believe him?"

"It doesn't matter. The information doesn't hold any meaning to me, because I don't remember it. You can't just show up and say, 'this is who you are', and then expect that person to be perfectly okay with it!" she raved.

"I know." Trowa replied. "I was like you once, remember that."

"I know. That's why I can only talk to you about it." Blaze said, a bit more calmly. "I don't know what to do. How am I suppose to react?"

The two walked away from HeavyArms and into the dining room. No one was there, so they had all the privacy they needed. Blaze nearly fell into her seat, and placed her head on the table with a 'thunk'.

Neither of them spoke. Finally, Blaze said through her hair, "You know, I came to you for advice… such a response would be appreciated…"

Trowa sighed, and tilted his head back to rest on the back of the seat. "Do you want to fight with us?"

"I don't know." she replied. "Do you think I should?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I know you have the potential. I know you can help us, and I trust you to be reliable." Trowa explained. "Heero thinks the same as well. That's why he told Dr. J. about you. You are a valuable asset to the colonies. Heero's goal is to protect the colonies and to regain and keep peace."

"He only told Dr. J. because he doesn't trust me. He doesn't trust who I am, and he doesn't trust who I may have been." Blaze lifted her head off of the table and brushed her hair back with her hands. "If Heero trusted me and found me reliable, then he would have trusted me to be on your side whether or not my past is unknown."

"Heero doesn't trust easily. He needed reassurance." Trowa replied.

"He could have asked me."

"Could have, but he didn't."

"Because he doesn't trust me."

"You wouldn't have let him find out your past. He doesn't let anyone or anything get in the way of what he wants."

"I hate him."

"You just don't understand him. It will be a while before you do. A long while." A small grin started to cross Trowa's stoic features.

"How long?" Blaze asked with a raised eyebrow.

"By the time this war would be over…" Trowa replied.

"Che…" Blaze hissed, and glared at him. "What about everyone else? How would they feel about me?"

"They're easier to understand and deal with." Trowa replied. "Quatre likes you-"

"How?" Blaze asked curiously. "What kind of like?"

Trowa's green eye had a slight flame of intrigue. "Interested?"

"No, just wondering…" Blaze said, slightly taken aback.

"The general liking if you must know." Trowa replied after a moment. Then he added, "as a friend."

"Oh okay. What about the rest? What do they think of me?"

"Duo likes you as well. Wufei finds your strength annoying and doesn't trust you. Still, he'll warm up quicker than Heero will." Trowa said matter-of-factly.

A long silence fell between them, until finally Blaze asked, "What do you think of me?"

"That should be apparent." Trowa said. 

Blaze blushed slightly, and cleared her throat. "Um, do you often talk this much to people?"

"Only when it's one-on-one. And usually only this much with Quatre."

"Ah…"


	8. “Heero, help!” she cried

AN: WWAAAIIII!!! I LOVED WRITING THIS CHAPTER!!!! ENJOY PEOPLE!!!! ^____^ Please review!!

****

Chapter 8: "Heero, help!!" she cried.

Blaze continued to not speak to Heero for that entire day. She kept silent around him as she thought of what to do. Still, Heero didn't know this. All Heero was able to notice was that she wouldn't look at him or talk to him. The Perfect Soldier attempted to ignore it as well, but it still nagged in the back of his mind. Heero attempted to keep his attention away from her, and onto more important matters.

As Heero sat on the chest of Wing, laptop open, he looked at the long list of Preventers bases that were being overtaken by Hampshire. They didn't have long. The pilots had to find a new safe house, and quick. The base they were currently at would be taken over all too soon. The people here wouldn't give away their position. Most of them were either from a colony or had family in a colony, and all of them were going to be forced into fighting for Hampshire and ESUN. That was a weakness that Hampshire seemed to ignore. An unwilling force wasn't a very reliable one.

Heero pondered their current predicament. They couldn't buy a mobile suit base, because all of them were run down. The only ones that weren't run down were the ones that Hampshire had reopened. Opening a base that wasn't a part of ESUN would be detected immediately. They needed privacy. One that would sustain throughout this war.

Heero just wished the kill the bastard, and be done with it. He was more than positive that Relena would be able to re-talk ESUN back into peace. After all, no one really wanted to have any blood shed. Still, an assassination would cause an uproar. No good would come from it. Despite the fact that Heero was brought up to kill without any concern (as is a soldier is meant to be), he still didn't really enjoy it. He only did what he had to do in order to defend and win. As he felt his existence was acknowledged more in a war, it still didn't make him exactly giddy with excitement that this war has started. To think he would have tried peace! Heero laughed despite himself.

Heero mentally smacked himself for letting his mind wander. He pushed himself to focus on the task at hand. Where could they go? Dr. J. and the others had refused to house the pilots. It took too much of a risk. If they were tracked back to their base, then there would be no back up. The pilots and their masters would be caught. Everything would fall apart. Aside from that, Heero suspected that their mentors were working on something, something important. The pilots couldn't afford to be an inconvenience. Whatever Dr. J. and the others were doing, it was for the good of the colonies. So where would they be able to stay? Who could they trust?

Quatre showed up and greeted Heero. "Hello Heero. How are you?" he asked with his usual boyish smile.

Perfect.

"We need a place to stay, Quatre. Have anything in mind?" Heero replied, eyeing his comrade. "The Maguanacs perhaps?"

Quatre's eyes lit up at this. He enjoyed being with his large party of forty burly men. They were good men and watched him ever since he was young. Not to mention Quatre always lit up any time he could be of some serious help in a serious and difficult situation.

"Of course!" Quatre exclaimed. "They have plenty of different underground places, and a few on the colonies."

"Whichever one has the least civilians would be our best choice." Heero replied. Heero recalled through Quatre and Duo's story of how OZ had infiltrated an underground base they were in, which threatened the lives of many people that lived there as well. Innocent lives, but that didn't seem to matter in a war.

"I agree. I'll inform Rashid immediately. He keeps track of their different locations a lot better than I do. He'll give me the best suggestion." Quatre replied.

"Find out as soon as possible." Heero replied. "The longer we stay here, the more we jeopardize everyone working here and ourselves."

"Sure thing!" Quatre replied, and ran off to make his call.

Heero thought refreshingly of once again having his own room. He wouldn't have to deal with Blaze and her back talking, music, and constant control of the bathroom. Not to mention she can snore occasionally.

That night, Blaze sat on her bed quietly brushing her hair. As her right hand brushed, her left clenched and unclenched the end of her nightgown. What should she do? She focused on Trowa's words immensely. Probably more than she should. It gave her a headache, and gave her more anxiety than she ever needed. Heero wasn't in the room with her. Instead he was downstairs, working on his gundam. In fact, all of the pilots were. They each touched up their respectable mobile suit, preparing for their leave tomorrow. She didn't know where they were going, they wouldn't tell her. Her mind wandered to earlier.

Duo attempted to sneak up on Blaze, but she was aware of his presence. "Hey, Duo." she said, making sure she got the first word.

"Hey, how'd you know I was here?" Duo questioned.

"You're not very good at stealth…" Blaze grinned.

Duo put his hands on his hips in an offended gesture. "I resent that remark!"

Blaze took her attention away from the dishes that she was washing, and looked at him. Duo grinned back, the typical American that he was. "Yeah, I can tell." she joked.

"Are you going to come with us?" Duo asked, as he grabbed an apple from the fruit basket.

"I don't know…" she confessed. "I sort of want to, but then again I'm not sure. I mean, you people are the only ones that I know. I'd be pretty lonely here, ya know?"

"No friend should ever be alone!" Duo commented. "I'll take you with us."

"Nah, I don't want to be an inconvenience…" Blaze replied. "But I'll think about it." she added.

Her thoughts returned. If she agreed to let Heero train her, then she could go with them and not be an inconvenience. Besides, they seemed to enjoy her company… or at least most of them… Yep. She'll end up going with them. If she's going to start a new life, then it might as well be one that would have some significant meaning. It'll be ironic that her present and future are connected to her past. Blaze was immediately one to believe in not looking back on the past. Quite suiting for one who has amnesia.

Blaze didn't bother getting up to go and inform Heero of her decision. She was still upset with him, and wouldn't give him the satisfaction of going out of her way to tell him anything. She decided to wait for Heero to come up when he was done. Of course that may be a while.

Blaze turned on the radio and listened to the music as she lay there aimlessly. She tapped her foot to the beat, enjoying her private space (which she hardly got). Blaze thought curiously, 'when we do leave… we won't have to share a room again, will we? But if there are limited rooms again, would I be shoved with Heero again?' The thought wasn't exactly appealing, and yet… it partially was. Blaze still had yet to try and figure out why. Why, in the name of sanity, would she want to share a room with Heero? 'He generally hates me, I always bug him… I'll be having enough of him when he's going to start training me… but… I'm not intimidated by him. Not in the least. But he doesn't like me. But I don't seem to care.'

This made no sense, and Blaze couldn't find any way to make it logical, and couldn't find the rhyme to her reason. 'I suppose I don't really care how he treats me, because he's cold to everyone. Maybe that's it…' Then Blaze remembered when Heero had put that blanket over her, and when Heero had comforted her after her nightmare… A grin spread across her face. "I think I'll figure out Heero Yuy sooner than you may think, Trowa…"

Heero dragged his tired feet up the stairs as if they were blocks of lead. What time was it? It felt like three in the morning! He had to get up in four hours. Oh well. Better to have a little sleep than no sleep. He stretched his arms, hopeful to crawl into his bed and let dreamless darkness overtake him. He heard music coming from inside the room. Heero narrowed his eyes.

"Damn it! She's awake…" Heero muttered to himself. He listened carefully, to make sure.

_"…I don't know how….Because maybe….You're gonna be the one that saves me? And after all you're my wonderwall!" _sang Blaze. Her voice came clearly through the door, and Heero rubbed his temples in aggravation. This was the last straw.

Heero opened the door and entered the room, and his jaw dropped at the sight before him. Blaze was up of course, singing, and… bouncing on her bed? Heero was too tired to handle this.

"What are you doing?" he hissed as he glared at her especially hard.

Blaze jumped off of her bed by doing as somersault in the air and landing on her feet. She immediately fell onto her shriveled covers and misplaced pillows. Her hair partially covered her face, but she smiled at him anyway. "I was waiting for you to come back. I was running out of ideas, and I need to stay awake!" She turned down the volume on the radio.

"Why were you waiting for me?"

Blaze shuffled her feet and sat on her hands. "Well…" she started. "I've been thinking…."

Heero sat down on the side of his bed, facing her. He leaned on his knees with his elbows. "Well? What is it?"

"About what had happened…" Blaze started. She averted her eyes to him. "I'll let you train me."

Heero was completely taken by surprise. "I thought you didn't want to…"

"Well, then you thought wrong." she replied. Then she corrected, "I wasn't angry really about that. I was angry about the fact that you can't trust me, and didn't let me find out about my past on my own."

Heero looked at his hands in a silent apology.

"Of course…" she continued. "That experience with Dr. J. doesn't really hold any meaning for me, because I don't have any recollection of it. It's your faith in me which is thwarted."

There was a long silence before Heero replied, "My faith in you is not let down. That's why I need you to fight with us. For the colonies."

"I won't be very cooperative."

"That can be changed."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"That's what you think…" she grinned. "This won't be easy, Heero."

"Good." Heero replied.

There was more silence, and Blaze lied down on her bed correctly, after straightening her pillows. "Do you think I'll get to do another mission like before?"

"Probably. But not with me." Heero replied coldly.

"Hey! Why not?" Blaze demanded. Then it came back to her. "Ah, yeah… never mind… now I remember. I kissed you last time!"

Heero kept himself from blushing. How could she mention it so casually??

"Don't worry…" she continued. "It won't happen again…"

"It most certainly won't."

"Shut up, Heero. You enjoyed it." she accused playfully.

Heero narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't waver with her stare (nor her grin). Heero replied through clenched teeth, "I do not wish to be kissed without my permission!"

"Okay then." she replied. A moment of silence. "May I have your permission to kiss you then?"

"NO!" Heero shouted, completely appalled.

Blaze laughed at his response. "Just kidding, Heero. By the way, you're blushing."

Heero immediately lied down on his bed with his back to her. He roughly beat his pillow to give it fluff, and then buried his head in it. How the hell was he going to achieve training Blaze?! She was unpredictable! He was use to a routine… He usually knew what to expect from the people around him, but not with her. His tired mind forced him to let go of his aggravation with Blaze, and he let himself fall asleep.

Blaze smiled to herself. The more she pushed, the looser Heero will become. She reflected on what she had said a moment ago, and wondered why Heero blushed. Did he like being kissed? Well that's a stupid question… anyone likes to be kissed. But kissed by her? Of course it was an experience that Blaze preferred to forget. Laughing over was just her way of releasing the tension, and burying the embarrassment. Blaze turned off the light, and fixed her covers, snuggling deep into her bed. It was about time she could go to sleep… what time were they going to have to wake up tomorrow? The thought made her groan.

Blaze squirmed in her bed uncomfortably. Who was breathing so hard? Heero? She wanted them to shut up. Ragged breath echoed around her behind her eyelids. She peaked an eye open, but darkness greeted just the same. The breathing didn't stop. It was heavy, fearful. Who was it? Blaze began to feel anxious, and opened her throat to speak. She couldn't. Her words choked, stopped in her throat. She put her hand to her throat and swallowed. What was going on??

Suddenly something bit into her neck, digging into her skin, choking her. She gasped for air, to scream, but it tightened. Her hand clawed at her throat. Rope. The frayed bits dug into her, breaking the skin and starting to draw blood. She could feel it start to run down her chest.

She moved to get up, but found herself against a cold wall. More ropes came out of the mystic nowhere and bound her hands, wrapping her arms tightly against her chest. The tightness put pressure on her lungs, and dug into her wrists. Hot tears stung her eyes in pain. She kicked her legs to break free or to harm whatever or whoever was doing this to her, but suddenly she felt suspended! Her feet dangled, no ground beneath her.

'No…' she thought. 'Not another nightmare, please!'

Ropes bound her legs and feet together, and panic began to fill her.

'Wake up Blaze, come on! You're the one with the control! You're doing this to yourself! You have to WAKE UP!' she screamed to herself mentally.

But the bite of the ropes and the sting from its burns told her otherwise. The rope tightened around her neck like a noose. She swallowed painfully, and gasped and choked for air.

Heero squirmed in his bed uneasily. Blaze moved about every five seconds, keeping him awake. After an agonizing 2 minutes of this, he rolled over and glared at her. Her back was to him, but he still watched her move. "Blaze, go to sleep!" He demanded.

The ropes around her neck were not there to kill her. She knew that much. Still, that fact made it more unbearable for her. If she wasn't suppose to die, then what was happening? And why couldn't she wake herself up? The ragged breathing drowned out all sane train of thought, until her mind was merely screaming for it to stop, or to die.

The ropes around her chest vanished, and only the ropes on her wrists remained. Her arms were pulled above her head, and kept there, though nothing tangible moved them. Hot gusts of wind struck her, with each ragged breath. Someone, something, was breathing on her. Heavily. It was directly in front of her, and she waited, unsure of what to expect next.

A whip cracked in the darkness, striking her back like lightning and with the sting of a scorpion. She clenched her teeth, the pain throbbing inside her to be let out. She needed release! She needed to wake up! Another whip crack sent pain across her lower back. She cried out into the silence, and her cry was greeted with nothing.

Blaze cried out in her sleep, causing Heero to leap up from surprise. Heero turned and looked at her to see what was wrong, and noticed her stiffly asleep in her bed.

"Not again…" he said through clenched teeth. He threw the covers off of him, and grabbed her by her shoulders, shaking her to wake her up. "Blaze. Blaze!"

Rough hands grabbed her shoulders suddenly, although she couldn't see the dark form before her. The noose around her neck tightened, as she pulled at her restraints to fight back. A loud snap echoed in the darkness, and she immediately launched her hand at her attacker.

Heero fell back as she scratched him with her left hand. He looked down at his torn tank top, and then back at Blaze. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her teeth were bared. The moonlight filtered through, setting her in blue flame, giving an ethereal look. Her hands scraped the air, thrashing wildly with fingers poised. He roughly grabbed her wrists and pinned her to her bed.

Those same hands grabbed her wrists and pinned her, rendering her helpless. "NNNNOOO!!!!!" She screamed, moving her body to break free. "Heero, help!!" she cried, as tears fell from the corners of her eyes and into her hair.

"Heero, help!!" Blaze cried in her sleep, taking Heero's attention by surprise. He moved his hands into her hers, and twined his fingers with her own. Her struggling continued, but slackened slightly. Heero peered at her, to see what was wrong, and noticed that the collar of her night shirt was pulled up so high that it seemed to be choking her. He held both of her hands in his left hand, and used his right hand, to fix her shirt slightly. She struggled against this, obviously afraid and unable to distinguish nightmare from reality. Heero then put her hands around his neck, his hands still holding hers, and quietly whispered her name in her ear. "Blaze… sshh… come on, wake up, it's Heero."

To Blaze's surprise, Heero was huddled over her, with his fingers intertwined with hers around his neck, with his lips next to her ear. "Wha…" she choked out. "Heero?"

Heero pulled away and looked into her eyes, his own swirling with things that Blaze couldn't name or try to understand. What she did understand, was that there was a moment of peace between them, where defenses were down for both, and their shells of hostile exterior were thrown away. Blaze's lips trembled; whether it was from fear or from the sudden cold and emptiness that she felt, she couldn't tell. Although she was aware that Heero was watching her in her weakest state, she didn't care. All she wanted was for that painful void in her to be filled, and Heero's eyes seemed to offer that. She wrapped her arms completely around his neck, and buried her face into his chest.

Heero, unaccustomed to such closeness, stiffened involuntarily. Once he realized that Blaze was crying, he wrapped his arms around her in return. Whatever frightened her so much, he wanted to destroy. His protectiveness immediately came into play and he immediately found the role that was his, just as he had done with Relena. Still, Relena was explainable, since she kept the peace for two worlds. What was his reasoning for Blaze? He had to protect her, keep her alive. She was one of the pilots. Yes, that was it.

"What happened?" Heero whispered.

Blaze thought back, and was finally able to remember her nightmare. She wasn't able to do it before, but this time was different. "I couldn't see…" she mumbled into his shirt. "Someone bound me with ropes, and they cut into my skin, into my neck."

"You're shirt got pulled up to your throat." Heero explained. Then he asked quietly, "Do you know who it was?" 

"No… I couldn't see them. Couldn't even feel them. They weren't tangible. But the whip was…" she whispered.

"There was a whip?" Heero asked looking down at her. She nodded her confirmation.

"It really hurt, Heero. I could feel it." she explained. "But I knew it was a nightmare. I couldn't wake up."

"I tried to wake you. You lashed out at me." Heero replied.

"Hands pinned me down when the ropes were loose. Was that you?" she asked.

"Yes." Heero replied. "I was trying to wake you up. You may have hurt yourself, and you attacked me."

"Are you alright?" Blaze pushed back a bit to look him over.

"You ripped my shirt…" Heero replied, sounding almost accusing.

Blaze looked at him, and he glared back as usual. Whatever was in his eyes before was shrouded behind ice. Blaze gave a small grin. "I'll get you a new one."

"You didn't here me call out to you?" Heero asked, curious as to her deafness to his cries to her.

"I only heard it that once." she replied. She smiled, almost shyly. "I knew it was you, and I was able to wake up."

Minutes of silence passed, and Heero watched Blaze as her eyes began to close and open. She was starting to fall asleep again, and Heero didn't blame her. He looked at the clock from his position on her bed. 5:30 a.m. He sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to get any sleep. He watched Blaze from the corner of his eye as she yawned.

"You should go back to sleep." Heero suggested quietly.

Blaze blinked a few times and looked at him through have closed eyelids, and shook her head. "I can't now. I still have remnants of the nightmare."

"You need your rest." Heero replied. "You won't have another nightmare." He stood up to return to his bed, but Blaze's hand steadied his action.

"Keep me company…" she whined.

"What??" Heero demanded, wide-eyed. Sleep in the same bed… with a girl? He could feel the heat rising into his cheeks.

"Please?" she begged, pulling on his hand slightly. He looked down into her pleading sleepy eyes. "Nothing will happen…"

Heero raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on. Yeah, I teased you earlier, but I was just playing. Please?" She looked down at her lap, taking her hand from his. Then she said, quite shyly, "I feel safe with you…"

That comment gave Heero a slight sense of pride, and he inwardly beamed to himself. Still, he didn't let it show. He acknowledged how cute Blaze looked when she was shy. She hardly ever was, which made it all the more unique.

"Fine." He replied, his voice just barely above a whisper.

Blaze smiled, despite the flush that tinged her cheeks. She lied down, making room for Heero in the small twin-sized bed. Good thing they were both skinny, otherwise someone would find their way to the floor quite quickly. Heero had a feeling it would have been him.

"I hope you're not a bed hog, otherwise I'm changing my mind." Heero muttered. Blaze giggled in response, but didn't make much more of a comment.

Once the two were both under the covers, Blaze snuggled up to him, making Heero nowhere remotely close to comfortable.

"You okay?" Blaze asked sleepily. "Comfortable?"

"I'm fine." Heero lied, keeping his voice steady. Heero's sides told him that Blaze's hands were rather cold. 'Oh my God oh my God oh my God…' Heero thought to himself. 'how did I ever get myself into this predicament? I hope none of the guys walk in tomorrow morning.'

Blaze was completely unscathed by the odd turn of events, and quickly fell asleep. Once she did, Heero watched her intently, then slowly, **_very_** slowly, eased and found the cuddle quite comfortable. But of course he'd never admit that to anyone. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his chin in her hair, as he listened to her even quiet breaths.

* * * * * * * * *

AN: WAI! KAWAII!! FLUFF!! *sighs in relief* I feel so much better after getting that out… so, was it TOO fluffy?? Ah well! ^_^ Sorry this is moving pretty slowly. I'll try to speed it up and make the chapters longer. THERE IS A PLOT, I SWEAR!!!!!


	9. I refuse to sit on anyone’s lap!” Blaze ...

Chapter 9:

Heero opened his eyes painfully. They ached from lack of sleep, and his body showed its distaste at having to get up. So comfortable. Such warmth. Suddenly a hand moved along Heero's back, which woke him up. The hand of reality slapped him harshly, and he looked down at Blaze, who was still asleep. They hadn't changed much from their position an hour and a half ago. At the most, their legs were entwined. What surprised Heero was that he had actually slept. His biological clock automatically woke up him on time; he realized that from the light of early morning that filtered through the blinds.

Blaze shifted against him, reminding him of the task at hand. He didn't want to wake her. At least not with the two of them in the position that they were in. Heero held his breath as he slowly pulled away from her. Unfortunately, there was no room on the bed to pull away. Heero lost his balance and nearly fell over the edge. His quick reflexes told him to brace himself against the nightstand, and he took in a sharp breath as Blaze shifted in her position. She rolled onto her stomach and outstretched her arms, taking up all of the bed space.

Heero's legs were still trapped amongst Blaze's. He was able to get one free, but the other was caught in between Blaze's legs, and for some reason he couldn't get it loose. 'I don't want to have to move her…' Heero thought. Still, it was to no avail. Miraculously, and to Heero's misfortune, Blaze had a tight hold on his foot. He placed his hand just above her knee, and loosened the vice her legs had on him, all the while trying to ignore how high her nightshirt had skirted up her thigh through the night. 

Heero took another breath, this time a sigh of relief. He was free! He looked at the clock. It was 7:10 a.m. They were going to leave around 8:30 to 9. That gave him just enough time to wake up, take a shower, gather together his things, and to make sure that Blaze does the same. He wasted no time in his preparations.

Blaze batted away the hand that shook her, interrupting her peaceful sleep. A voice soon followed the hand that bothered her. "Come on, Blaze… Get up." Heero said.

"Buzz off!" she said crankily. Blaze put her head under her pillow.

Heero snatched the pillow off of her head. "You need to get ready. Don't waste my time." He demanded.

"Heeeerrooo!!!" she whined. "Leave me alone!!" She rubbed her eyes. "Get ready for what, anyway?"

"You're coming with us." Heero reminded, as he pulled the covers off of her.

Blaze stood up groggily. Heero backed away from her, giving her room to start to get ready. Instead, and much to Heero's annoyance, Blaze crawled into his bed and pulled the covers and pillows over herself. "I'm not going." her muffled voice said.

"Yes you are." Heero said icily. "I don't have time for this." Heero ripped the covers off of her and removed the pillows from her grasp.

He immediately grabbed a nearby duffle bag and threw it on top of her. Then he proceeded to throw all of Blaze's belongings on top of her and the duffle bag.

Blaze grumbled a few choices words to herself and sat up. "You're such an ass." she accused grumpily. Heero ignored her, and left the room.

Heero went down stairs where the rest of the pilots were gathering together their belongings onto the large cargo planes. Quatre supervised everything, while Wufei stood next to him to keep an extra pair of eyes on things, particularly the progression of the gundams. They were usable, but their productions weren't quite complete. There was still more to add and adjust. More work was to be put into them once they got to their destination. Right now, the Preventers at the base were helping to place the gundams into the planes' cargo bay.

Heero watched as one of the cargo planes left. It headed off into the air, eventually leaving Heero's view as it turned around and flew over the base, heading south east. Deathscythe and Heavy Arms were gone, which showed what exactly the cargo plane was carrying. As expected, Duo and Trowa left with their gundams.

Heero immediately went to check on his own gundam Wing Zero lay silently, like a dangerous beast in hibernation. A small smile crept onto Heero's stoic features. If there was one thing he understood, it was his gundam. He immediately began to load Wing Zero into the cargo plane that was reserved for him. His gundam was the only one that none of the Preventers touched.

Quatre watched some men place the gundanium parts into the cargo plane which would be holding Wufei's gundam. His brow furrowed with worry, as he thought of all of the civilians that lived where they were going. Their secret base and village was underground, just as before. It was close to a small Arabian city, where there were tunnels that connected the two. The tunnels were deep underground, underneath the sewer systems, and difficult to discover. The place that they were to stay at had a limited number of rooms. Even aside from that, Quatre believed in safety in numbers. So did Rashid, his trusty Maguanac bodyguard. So, as before, they'll have to share rooms again. The order is yet to be decided, but Quatre was to make sure that it wasn't going to be a problem. His only concern was the ordeal between Heero and Blaze. The two were nearly already at each other's throats.

Quatre recalled Heero requesting the least populated place, and he was sure that Heero wasn't going to agree with their new headquarters. Yes, it was highly populated with civilians. Still, compared to the other places, it actually had the *least* amount of people. The only difference is that the other hidden towns are larger, so the people are more spread out. It was the best that he was able to do.

His concern then fell on this Preventers base. Would ESUN find out about the pilots hiding here? What is going to happen to the people that are here? All of them support the colonies. This base is mostly populated by people from the colonies or with family on the colonies. Quatre didn't expect Hampshire to play by any rules. All is fair in love and war.

Relena stared at the long list in front of her. More and more rebellions against ESUN Preventers bases were occurring on the colonies. The news that was stated three weeks ago was still very fresh on the public, and even Relena herself. Though she had been through the unlimited amount of debates before the decision was made, it still surprised her that ESUN wanted war after peace had been established. Of course not all of ESUN's leaders wished for the war. But much to everyone's black reality, very few of them wished for peace.

Relena placed her head in her hands and held back her tears. What was she going to do? She, above all, felt responsible for this unhappy turn of events. She was assigned as the Vice Minister of the Peace Negotiations between Earth and the Colonies. But Hampshire was the President of ESUN's Preventers force, and he out ranked her immensely; in title and in age. The only hold Relena had was the hold on the public. She was the one they adored. Not old men. And when you have the public, you have the power. Still, Hampshire was beginning to take that away from her as well. He was very provocative, and he used his words well. That's why he always won the side of the men of ESUN when they had their meetings.

One thing Relena was able to do was the keep track on everything Hampshire did. Pagan, her squire and friend, always found a way to get all the information Relena ever needed or wanted. She never knew his secret or his connections, but he was always able to get the job done, giving 110%. Relena kept careful track of which Preventers bases were being changed into ESUN's military force. Many Preventers on record were leaving, unwilling to fight against the colonies. Still, more joined.

Hampshire was also getting the approval of many countries across the Earth. He went from nation to nation, giving his speeches and winning the governments there. Relena, was doing the exact same, of course for the opposite reason. She went where she was able to, stating the ideas of peace that had brought a calm for both the earth and the colonies. The peace negotiators of ESUN did all the could with Relena to maintain balance on the thin thread of war. Neither side has directly attacked yet, but that is to be expected with no mobile suits.

Still, that wasn't going to be a problem for long. As Hampshire began to win over the nations of the world, he began his mecha productions. The production has begun quickly, set up by rich entrepreneurs who plan to gain a high profit from the war. Prices will be especially high now that mecha productions came to a halt after the Mariemaia issue. 'People no longer have a conscience…' Relena thought miserably.

Blaze slept soundly on the cargo plane, catching up on some much deserved shut eye. Meanwhile Heero and Quatre piloted the plane towards their new safe house.

"How many civilians?" Heero asked, as he watched the ocean sweep past beneath them.

"958 all together, including the Maguanacs." Quatre replied.

"Hn…" Heero replied. "That's not that much… but it still puts plenty of lives in danger."

"It's the best we could find." Quatre replied. "There's a tunnel that leads to a small town nearby. You and the others will have plenty of time to check it out."

"That puts the town in danger." Heero point out.

"Not necessarily. We can blow away the tunnels in case of an emergency." Quatre replied with a smirk. 

"Hn… good."

Quatre put the plane on auto pilot, and stretched back in his seat. He unbuckled his harness. "Heero, I might as well tell you in advance. There are a limited number of rooms where we're suppose to stay. We'll be sharing again."

Heero inwardly groaned to himself. Was he going to have to share his room with Blaze again? He recapped on the previous night, and got a stomach ache at the thought of how close they got. That was NOT suppose to happen.

"Heero, are you okay?" Quatre asked, concerned. "You're face is looking… A little red… are you blushing???"

"No." Heero replied through clenched teeth. He immediately turned his head away.

"Uh huh…" Quatre said, and rolled his aqua colored eyes. "Well, I was about to suggest… do you want me to share a room with Blaze this time? Trowa can stay with you. You're both quiet, so I'm sure it'll work out fine. You and Blaze don't seem to get along…"

"That's thoughtful Quatre…" Heero replied. It was tempting. Then he recalled Blaze having her nightmare. Dr. J. had put Blaze in his care, so he had to watch over her. Heero sighed heavily, accepting his responsibility. "I'll be fine. I need to train her anyway, so I'll have more control if I'm staying with her."

"That's true…" Quatre replied. He didn't quite like the idea of Heero coming in every morning at 6:30 a.m. to wake up Blaze. But still… "Are you sure you can handle her? She's a fiery woman…" Quatre asked.

"I said I'll be fine." Heero replied stoically.

"I'm very familiar with girls, Heero…" Quatre said, slightly worried. He knew Blaze stripped Heero of all of his patience. Heero looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I have 29 sisters…"

"Oh." Heero replied. "What's your point?"

"If you need help or something, I'm pretty sure I'll know how to handle her." Quatre said.

"Handle me how??" Blaze asked from behind him.

Quatre immediately began to blush. "Oh! Hi Blaze! How are you?"

Blaze raised an eyebrow at him as a grin started to cross her features. "Fine, a bit tired." An immediate silence fell on the three. Then Blaze spoke up. "Oh, by all means, don't stop conversation just because of my presence! Do continue with what you were saying…"

Quatre twiddled his fingers. "Well, it's just that I'm pretty sure Heero can't really tolerate you , whereas I am more cooperative than he is…" Quatre's voice fell as he realized that he really didn't know what he was saying.

"Nice one Quatre." Heero smirked. "You can really handle women."

"I can do just fine when I'm not taken by surprise!" Quatre huffed indignantly.

Blaze's grin turned into a full smile, and she ruffled Quatre's hair. "You're so cute!" she commented. Heero shot a piercing look at her, which Quatre picked up but made no mention of.

Many long hours later, while the stars studded the night sky and the moon followed them, they landed in the open hatch which led them under ground and into the hidden village. The other two cargo planes sat silently, and 3 of the 5 gundams already rested portentously. In the darkness of the bay.

"Where is everyone?" Blaze asked. There was a definite lack of a welcoming party.

"I'm sure their with the Maguanacs. They're probably waiting where we're going to stay." Quatre said.

Heero unbuckled himself and immediately got to business, specifically avoiding contact with Blaze. Blaze, being the oh so perceptive one that she was, noticed this. 'damn it!' she cursed to herself. 'he's really nervous about last night! It didn't mean anything… I don't even know why I let him get close. Here I am, trying to act like it didn't happen and let it blow over, but he's still caught up in it.' A frown started to darken her features. 'This is going to put a strain on things. And he's suppose to train me!'

Still, she wasn't motivated enough to confront Heero about it. He didn't seem to like confrontations over stupid stuff like this. 'It had better blow over by tomorrow…' she thought. She watched Heero exit into the cargo section of the plane. 'what an idiot…' she thought stubbornly.

"You coming Blaze?" Quatre asked as he walked by her.

"Uh, yeah…" she replied, snapping back to the present.

She walked into the cargo plane with them, and watched as they began to prepare to take their gundams out. She eyed the gundams with curiosity, as she always did. The large mechas laid on top of those very large moving trucks. They looked intimidating, but Blaze wasn't intimidated; only interested.

Suddenly a couple of men wearing desert colored clothing and Arabic hats (AN: Don't know what they're called, too lazy to find out) stepped in from the large platform. "Master Quatre! You're here!" They both said in unison.

"Hello!" Quatre replied with a wave.

"Blaze." Heero called. "Take the bags and go with them to our safe house. We'll meet you there."

"Alright…" she replied. The two men came up to her and helped to take the large duffel bags.

"Right this way. Good thing you guys just arrived! They're about to start the party!" one said as he pushed up his specs. 

Heero narrowed his eyes. "What party?" He turned to Quatre.

"They're celebrating our arrival, Heero." Quatre replied simply. "It's going to be in the town."

"Wait! Party??" Blaze nearly shouted. "No! No party! This is unexpected! I have nothing to wear!!"

"Don't worry about that…" said the second Maguanac. He gave her a wink. "That'll all be taken care of."

"Uh oh…" Blaze and Heero muttered. They shared a brief glance.

Heero, Blaze, and Quatre walked down a dimly lit hall. The lanterns flickered on the red walls. They stopped outside a door. "Alright. Here's you're room… for the both of you." Quatre announced, unlocking it with the key.

"Wait… OUR room??" Blaze said wide-eyed. "I don't get my own room??"

Quatre shook his head. "Sorry…there's limited space here."

"But… but…" Blaze stuttered. Couldn't they give her someone else to share her room with? "What about you, Quatre? You don't have a room mate, right??"

Quatre nodded. "Trowa."

"Wha… well…. Phooey!" she announced.

Heero raised an eyebrow at her. "That was intelligent." He stated.

"Shut up." she demanded. She glared at Heero accusingly. "From you there is no escape!!"

Heero shrugged. "Not my fault."

Blaze let out an exasperated sigh, and stomped into their new room. Quatre giggled over this. "You'll be fine! Someone will bring you two your clothes for the party."

"Don't worry, I'll take my time." Blaze replied.

Quatre shook his head and closed the door.

"I can't believe this…" Blaze muttered. "The irony!" Heero ignored her and began unpacking. Blaze eyed him. Suddenly her mind gave her a brief replay of last night. Heero's hands weaving into her own, and the feel of his breath on her ear and neck. A shiver went through her, and she mentally smacked herself. 'what the hell am I thinking?? Could it be…' she watched Heero some more, until he turned and glanced at her with his icy glare. 'nah… yeah right.'

Heero's mind was doing the same thing. It was giving him a wonderful recap of his previous actions. Some of the thoughts that came across him made him blush profusely, and he fought to regain control over his exterior. 'stupid thoughts stupid thoughts…last night won't happen again tonight, right? I won't let it. I won't let myself open up.' Heero lectured to himself. Heero forced himself to take away any meaning there may have been to what had happened, and he finally was able to become Heero again. 'It was nothing.' Heero inwardly smiled to himself, pleased at his self control.

"Blaze…" Heero started, as he began to put his clothes into their dark brown dresser.

"What??" she snapped. She hadn't quite collected herself yet. Her control wasn't as great as Heero's.

Heero stood up and turned to look at her. She looked up from her folded clothes, and then looked away quickly, color rising into her cheeks.

"Sorry…" she mumbled. "I guess I should be nicer to you. After all, you did take care of me last night. Thank you…"

Heero turned back to the dresser. "It was nothing." he replied.

Blaze took a sigh of relief. It was nothing. Good. That made everything much more bearable. After all, she didn't want either of them to get the wrong idea from a bit of comfort.

Someone tapped on the door and Blaze answered it.Heero listened as she thanked whoever it was and close the door. "We have our clothes. Are you going to go?"

"No." Heero replied.

"Yes you are." she grinned. "You don't want to insult anyone, now do you?"

Heero growled to himself. She was right. He turned and took the clothes from her. This was going to be a long night.

"I'm going to go change now." she announced. "I might be in there for a bit."

"I'll be fine." Heero replied.

When she entered the bathroom, she squealed with delight. She poked her head out. "Hey, Heero! This is cool! We get one of those bath tubs that are in the floor! You know what I'm talking about? The kind that has water come in like a spa? That's so cool!" she immediately shut the door to enjoy the luxury. Heero shook his head and let a small grin play on his lips. Blaze's voice called through the bathroom door again. "We also get a white fury rug! OOH! And also some scented bath stuff! You know, those cool little ball thingies that shoot out scented oil if you squeeze them?"

Heero fully smiled now, since no one was around to see. "Alright, Blaze. Just get ready."

A devious laugh ensued from the bathroom. "Go find another bathroom, Heero! I'll be having some fun in here tonight!"

"We still have to go to the welcoming party." Heero reminded. He changed into his given clothing, which fit surprisingly well. He glanced at himself in the mirror, shrugged, and left the room. The second he stepped foot outside his room, he was greeted by Duo's rowdy presence. Duo slapped him on the back.

"Hey, Heero ol' buddy! Nice to see you again!" Duo said loudly.

"We just saw each other this morning." Heero said with a glare. 

"Yeah, well… ah, whatever." Duo replied aimlessly, as he started to walk down the hall with his arm around Heero's shoulders. Duo eyed Heero's clothes. "Hey, lookin' slick! That blue shirt is gonna attract a lot of ladies."

"I don't care." Heero replied impassively. Heero shot a glance at him. Duo was dressed in all black. Black slacks and a long sleeved black silk shirt. "You look good yourself."

"What's that I hear? Was that a compliment? Did my ears deceive me?" Duo said with mocked shock. "I'm proud of you, Yuy!"

"Omae o' korosu." Heero hissed.

"Never mind…"Duo grinned. He removed his arm from the shorter pilot, and put his arms over his head. "Too bad Hilde's not here…" His violet eyes sparkled at the thought of her.

Heero snorted and rolled his eyes at the God of Death. Duo's attachment to the lively girl was only going to weaken him in this war. They couldn't afford fondness. Having something always ended up in losing it.

Heero stood around, quite bored. He talked to no one, as usual, and only observed. The pilots grouped together, talking to one another about a range of topics. They all had yet to go through the tunnel to get to the city. The fiesta was up on the land, underneath the stars. About 10 Maguanacs stood with them, one of whom was Rashid. He was a large burly man, putting all of the gundam pilots to shame with his height and bust. Aside from that, he was rather kind and gentle, taking away the coercion of his stature.

Who were they all waiting for? Blaze. Naturally. The woman was taking forever.

Wufei growled in extreme annoyance. "Yuy! Go up and get that onna of yours! She's wasting all of our time!"

Heero gave him his death glare. "She's not my woman, Chang."

At that moment, Blaze came out. "Yeah, Wuffie! I'm not his woman!" she glared blue flame at him.

"Could have fooled me." Wufei replied as he crossed his arms. 

Quatre looked Blaze over checking her outfit. "Wow, Blaze! I'm glad that suited you so well!"

Blaze looked down at the red dress that she was wearing. The straps rested off of her shoulders, and it went down to just above her knee, where it was cut in a zigzag pattern. "Eh… I never thought red was my color."

"It doesn't matter. Let's just go." Wufei said.

"Yes, Oh Impatient One." Blaze shot back.

"That's enough." Heero said quietly. "Let's go, we don't want to make them wait any longer."

"Oh, I'm sure they've started by now!" Duo said. "Come on, I don't want to miss all of the great Arabic food!"

"Americans." Trowa commented quietly, as they entered a jeep.

"How are we going to all fit in here??" Wufei demanded. He gave the driver an accusing eye, as if it was his fault that there was no room.

"It'll be a tight squeeze…" Quatre replied. "My other friends, those Maguanacs, are going to be taking another jeep."

"There will definitely be some lap sitting here." Duo announced.

"Oh no there isn't! I refuse to sit on anyone's lap!" Blaze announced. "Wufei, get in the trunk!"

"ONNA!!" Wufei snarled.

"I was kidding." Blaze said flatly.

"Now, now, Blaze!" Duo said overly-kindly. "I wasn't referring to you! Come Heero! You shall sit on my lap!"

"Nani?!" Heero shouted. "Omae o korosu!!!"

Blaze erupted into laughter.

"It's times like these that I question you Maxwell…" Wufei muttered. Quatre snickered behind his hand.

"Now, Heero." Duo soothed. "You're the lightest out of all of us! Maybe you can sit on Wufei! Or even better, you can sit on Blaze!"

Blaze pouted. "But I bet his butt's all bony!"

"Don't bring me into this Braided Weakling!" Wufei snarled (as usual). 

"There is no way, whatsoever, that I will ever do that!" Heero replied. Then he crossed his arms stubbornly. "I'll walk if I have to."

"Will you stop pestering Heero for once Duo?" Quatre demanded. "We have to get going, so we have to figure out how we'll fit!"

"Why don't we just have more vehicles??" Blaze demanded.

"Because that's too logical." Duo responded.

"Enough complaining you weaklings!" Wufei yelled. "Can we just GO??"

"Keep it up and I'll show you how fast you can have a face lift!" Blaze shot back.

Meanwhile, Trowa, Quatre, and Duo began to get into the jeep. The three of them filled the back seat, and scooted over, making room for Heero to fit. Wufei rolled his eyes at her threat and got into the passenger's seat. Blaze eyed this position of people warily.

"Choose quickly, Blaze, we have to go." Heero said stoically, while inside he was hoping she wouldn't pick him. It wouldn't do him much good if she sat on his lap on the way there. In fact, it wouldn't do much good if she sat on his lap at all.

Blaze weighed her options. 'NOT Heero. That would be a bit weird. Not Duo, because he's a typical American. Nothing clean would come out of sitting on HIS lap. Um… hm…. Trowa or Quatre?' Blaze quickly decided. "Better make some room for me Quatre…" she announced. "You're the unlucky winner!"

Duo's jaw dropped. "Well that's a harsh slap to the rest of us! I'm sensing a lack of trust here!"

"And rightfully so, you American!" she replied back with a grin, as she lifted herself into the jeep and fixed the bottom of her dress before sitting down on Quatre. Quatre blushed slightly. "I only trust Quatre because he has 29 sisters! I'm sure this isn't the first time he's had to do this…"

"Well it has been a while…" Quatre said.

The vehicle started bumping along the cobble-stoned street, and finally reached a large tunnel. All lighting of the underground village switched to white fluorescent light that surpassed them as they made their way through the tunnel. The Maguanacs were behind them, singing some Arabic song merrily.

They arrived at the town, coming out of the tunnel and being greeted by bright colors, loud music, and the crisp clear sky of night. The desert air was clean and fresh, and absolutely refreshing compared to the stale circulated air of the tunnel and village. Streamers twirled over their heads, and colorful lights lined the trees and poles. The town was utterly filled with people. Men in vests and loose pants, women in hi mid-drifts and long skirts tied at the waist, others in party dresses.

Blaze's eyes lit up, as did Duo's. Heero and Trowa seemed indifferent, and Quatre just smiled in amusement, since he had expected this. His people seemed to find every reason to celebrate.

The jeep stopped at the edge of the town square where there were long tables and benches of food, and people danced in the center. Blaze jumped out of the jeep quickly, her eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. Quatre followed, as did Trowa, and Duo. Heero got out on his own side, but took his time in doing so. He watched people dancing, and swallowed. He didn't like dancing. He knew he was eventually going to have to tonight. Why couldn't it be waltzing? That was easy. This… Heero watched women sashaying their hips…. This wasn't his style.

Quatre led them to their table. Once they got there, Duo left immediately to go and enjoy himself. His first destination… the food. Second destination… the dance floor. The rest of them went to get food as well. They eyed the selection of shish kabobs, middle eastern hot rice, luscious salads of hummus and bavaghanouj, and baklava desserts, among other things. They filled their plates with their selections and took it back to their table to begin eating.

Once the food was devoured, Quatre left to go dance with a pretty black haired girl that tugged at his sleeve. Trowa and Wufei were dragged along as well, despite their urge to stay at the table and remain wallflowers. Blaze watched with amusement, as the women and men around them began to teach them how to dance according to their culture. Group dances began, people twirling in circles and clapping. Blaze stood up to join them, after watching enough to get the hang of it. "Are you coming Heero?"

"Yeah right." Heero replied. Blaze rolled her eyes and left him where he was.

Blaze was immediately pulled into the flow, and she twirled, awkwardly. The girl standing next to her handed her a magenta colored silk scarf, and Blaze took one end, as the woman held onto the other. Other people brought out multi colored scarves and made chain, each person holding onto the end of a scarf, with a person attached to the other end. They danced in a train formation, turning into something like a figure eight.

Heero watched this silently, until a girl with dark red hair came up and put a scarf around his neck, and pulled him to his feet. Heero shook his head profusely, but the girl paid no attention to his defiance, and pulled him into the chain.

The chain of people and scarves turned around and around, until it was a circle, and the people at the end joined hands, forming a large circle. The women twirled inward and made a circle inside the circle of men, and turned as they danced, swayed their hips. The men, went in the opposite direction, stepping in unison, and clapping their hands.

Heero did not like this. He danced with the rest of the men, unsure of what exactly he was suppose to do next. He could see Duo struggling on the other end of the circle and then he spotted Wufei, Trowa, and Quatre as well. Quatre was the only one who was truly doing the dance correctly. Heero smirked to himself. He couldn't tell who was having a harder time getting down the steps: Wufei or Duo. Trowa was the best out of the four that didn't know what they were doing. Quatre twirled in a circle, and then the man to his left did the same, starting a chain reaction. Heero twirled accordingly, and he was suddenly faced by Blaze, who looked at him with surprise. They had no time to speak. Now each man and woman had a partner, and they were screwed. They HAD to dance with each other.

They watched others as they imitated them, their movements uncertain. They didn't touch… they only held on by the magenta scarf that Blaze was given. Blaze twirled under it and then spun in, sashaying her hips with her back to Heero. Heero then moved the scarf over her head, where she turned around and faced him again. Her hair whipped into her face, but Heero could see the flush in her cheeks from the dancing, and the fire in her eyes from the excitement. Heero pulled on the scarf, pulling her close to him, as all the other men did, and quickly put an arm around her waste. Blaze regained her balance on her stiletto heels, and her breath caught in her throat. She glanced into his eyes, and averted her gaze to the collar of his blue shirt.

The song ended and another began, and they began to dance again automatically. This time, the dance was free style, making things much easier for everyone. This time the song was…. Samba?? Blaze looked around confused. "I thought they're all Arabian!" she yelled over the heavy steady beat and laughter.

"They are." Heero replied. "but they're also diverse." He put her arms around his neck, and began to sway to the music. He didn't look into her eyes, but just danced automatically. They swayed their way to the ground and came back up, the music telling them what to do.

Duo quickly worked through the crowd of dancing bodies until he reached Quatre and Trowa who were near each other. "Hey, guys!" he yelled. They turned their heads and gave him a look saying, 'what?!' Duo nodded his head to the far left. "Check out our friends over there! They're practically doing the lambada!!"

Quatre and Trowa looked through the people and saw Blaze and Heero… well, getting down, quite frankly. "I didn't know she could do that!" Quatre yelled, completely shocked.

"I'm more surprised at Heero." Trowa commented. "Who'd of thought??"

"They're definitely having too much fun!" Duo announced.

Quatre grinned. "Well, I suggest we don't … uh… interrupt them."

Blaze stared into Heero's eyes, and Heero into hers. 'what the hell is going on??' Blaze yelled in her head. At that moment the music ended followed by something slower of pace. Heero slowly lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, causing Blaze's pulse to quicken and the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

"Blaze!" Heero shouted, interrupting Blaze's sudden daydream. He merely stared at her with his cold eyes. She looked up at him, her face red from embarrassment. Luckily for her, he assumed that it was from their heavy dancing. Good thing he couldn't read her mind. Heero pulled away from Blaze and said, "I'm going to go sit down now."

"Uh… yeah… sit down… Good idea…" she stuttered back. She walked back to their table behind him, all the while mentally smacking herself. She just imagined Heero kissing her. What was she thinking?? She watched him walk ahead of her, the ends of his brown hair sticking to the back of his neck with slight sweat from the closeness of the bodies, and the way that his cobalt blue shirt clung around his muscular shoulders, and how his pants weren't to tight and weren't too loose… 'Ah… never mind.' Blaze thought to herself. 'That thought was completely understandable, considering how hot he is.' Her hands still tingled from the feel of his muscles under the shirt he wore when they danced. 'I should eat something. Yes. Eat. That's a good idea.'

Blaze immediately diverted her path towards the food, and quickly got some pudding and pie. She arrived at the table, noticing that Wufei was there as well as Heero. She quickly sat down and began to stuff her face with sweet desserts, in order to take her mind off of *him*. She didn't look or talk at him for the rest of the party. Well, at least she wouldn't look at him when he would be aware of it. Heero, as usual, had no reaction and may very well have not noticed Blaze's shyness. 'This is stupid!' she said to herself. 'Why do I act like such an idiot around him?!'

Later that night all of the pilots entered into the hall where they were staying. Blaze leaned tiredly on Trowa's shoulder, her eyes half open with heavy exhaustion. The party had gone well, and all were now stuffed and very, very tired. Duo yawned loudly and waved good night as he went into his and Wufei's room. Wufei grumbled a few choice words under his breath about obnoxious snoring braided bakas, as he scratched his head. Trowa quietly handed Blaze over to Heero, who took her somewhat reluctantly. Quatre and Trowa bid them good night, leaving the two in the hall.

Heero kicked open the door to their room, while trying to keep Blaze from sliding to the ground. "Come on…" Heero said with a little strain in his voice, as he lifted her into his arms and carried her in. He closed the door with his foot, and carried Blaze to her bed, and dropped her onto it. He then turned on their light, and looked at the clock. It was 1:30 a.m. He sighed heavily, and looked at Blaze who was now asleep, still dressed in her red dress and stiletto shoes. He scratched his head and then took off her heels and put her legs under her covers, then pulled them up to her shoulders.

Heero took a quick shower to wipe off the sweat that had dried onto his body from the heat of the party and the smell of Blaze's perfume when they danced. He let the hot water run down his back and pour off of his bangs, and he placed his head against the tiled wall, eyes closed.

Tomorrow they will start training.


	10. I'm not going to let you get hurt!

AN: Okay. This chapter is a waste of time, I tell you!! It's covering a lot of Blaze's training, so it's pretty boring. Not to mention that this entire thing is one long jumbo of me working with my writer's block. I swear I confused myself on more than one occasion with this!!! *heavy sigh* But alas, it is here. Just wanted to warn those of low tolerance!! I swear to you, the next chapter will be better!!!!

Special Note (SN): Everyone should thank AnimeFreak452 because she's making sure I work on this stuff!!!

Now, without further ado, my terrible chapter 10!! Peace muchachos!!!

****

Chapter 10: "…I'm not going to let you get hurt!"

Heero shook Blaze awake, and Blaze turned her bleary eyes to the clock. "6:30?!" she exclaimed. "Heero, what the hell are you doing waking me up at 6:30 in the freakin' morning?!"

"You need to start training. Get up. We can't waste any time." Heero ordered.

"Yeah right! Kiss my royal white behind!" she shot back, and pulled the covers over her head.

'Not this again…' Heero thought to himself. He ripped off her covers, and she curled up into a ball from the chilling air that swept over her. "Get up. Now." he demanded coldly.

Blaze lifted up her head at glared at his back. He turned and glared at her, making sure she wasn't going to fall back asleep. She narrowed her eyes, grabbed her pillow, and threw it at him stubbornly. "Ass…" she muttered.

Naturally, Heero being Heero, caught it and dropped it aimlessly behind him. His expression clearly showed that he was completely unfazed. Blaze rolled out of her soft bed and stood up and stretched. Heero, satisfied, turned his back on her momentarily. Blaze took this opportunity to snatch Heero's pillow and in a matter of seconds, was literally on his back, beating him over the head with his own pillow.

Muffled grunts greeted Blaze's ears each time she bopped him on the head, and she got off of him and continued to whip the poor stoic spandex-wearing pilot. Heero put up his arm and blocked her blows, then grabbed the pillow with his other hand, snatching it from her and causing the poor still-somewhat-sleepy Blaze to lose her balance. The force of Heero's pull and her Usagi-equivalent lack of balance caused her to hurtle into Heero, which threw them both off balance, and they both fell to the floor with a loud thump. The pillow, which was in Heero's hand, flew into the air and landed flat square on his face. Blaze immediately started laughing at him, and pushed herself off of him. Her laughter was cut short by a pounding on the far wall.

Duo's angry shouts made it through the white wash wall. "COULD YOU TWO BE ANY LOUDER?? SOME SHINIGAMI'S NEED THEIR BEAUTY SLEEP!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU TWO ARE DOING IN THERE, AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOW, BUT WHATEVER IT IS, DO IT QUIETLY!!!!!"

"MAXWELL!!! SHUT THE HELL **_UP!!!!_**" Wufei bellowed. "IF YOU DON'T I'LL SHOVE THIS KATANA UP YOUR ASS!!!"

Blaze and Heero glanced at each other, and moved closer to the wall to hear the early morning argument.

"Wufei, just go! Okay? Go join them in… whatever it is they're doing!! Let my braid and I sleep!" Duo shot back crankily.

Blaze blushed at that suggestion, and Heero tried to keep from showing any reaction at all. Duo, always the big mouthed American, found a way to place something sexual in anything. Heero pulled away and completely bypassed the situation of the uncomfortable atmosphere that seemed to hang over the two of them. No more sounds issued from their rowdy and grouchy neighbors.

"Get dressed." Heero demanded. "Today I'm going to find out the level of your abilities to save time in training."

Blaze groaned and slumped over to her dresser, and grabbed her clothes to get dressed.

"We'll start with the physical aspects first." Heero explained. "I need to know your endurance, your reflexes, and how much you really know when it comes to hand to hand combat."

"That's great." Blaze replied. "When you find out let me know, cuz I have no clue."

"Stop your comebacks." Heero ordered. "I'm training you, and you'll speak only if you have a question or if you are giving me an answer to a question."

"Hey! Excuse me!" Blaze huffed. She put her hands on her hips. "I'm **_letting_** you train me! Don't act all high and mighty."

Heero put his finger to Blaze's lips and glared into her eyes. "Don't. Speak. The more time you waste talking back, the less time we have to get you ready for this war." Blaze averted her eyes to the floor submissively, and then back up into his eyes. Once Heero was sure he had her attention, he began to test her.

He put her through a string of warm ups, and then began certain weight training, long distance running, and so on. She was really out of shape. Still, she was determined so whatever strength she lacked physically, she made up for in her willpower.

Still, her willpower wasn't enough. Heero's main concern was to first get Blaze in acceptable physical shape. Then they would work from there. He was only going to spend a month at the max, to get Blaze into an adequate condition.

Blaze was woken up again the next morning by Heero shaking her awake. Again, it was 6:30, and time for her to get up. However, her body said otherwise. She slapped his hand away. "Heero, go away. I'm really sore from that run you made me do yesterday!!" she demanded.

Heero, not willing to waste any time, picked Blaze up out of her bed and carried her into the bathroom.

Icy cold faucet water bombarded Blaze and she leaped up, completely shocked. "OH MY GOD!!!" she screamed. Heero avoided her angry fist, and Blaze started to get up in the bathtub to get him, but slipped on the slick ceramic. Still, determined to seek vengeance, she made her way clumsily out of the aim of the cold spray of water, and chased after Heero. He was naturally faster than her, but her anger gave her speed and she darted forth. Heero bolted to avoid her fists, and Blaze stopped immediately at his desk. She ripped his laptop out of its plug. Heero turned and saw this, and his face paled. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, but he chased after her and smacked the door open. She held the laptop precariously over the bathtub.

"Don't even!!!" Heero demanded.

"Do what, Heero?" Blaze mocked. "Do this?" she pretended to drop it a few times, causing Heero to tense up.

"Don't drop it!" Heero ordered, his voice harsh.

"Don't ever wake me up like that again!" she shot back.

"Then get up when I tell you to!" Heero replied.

"You're in no position to compromise with me, Heero!" Blaze said. "I have your laptop!"

"You're still wet!" Heero shot back.

"Which is why you're laptop must suffer the same fate!!" Blaze retorted. "Where do you get off treating me like this all of a sudden??"

"This isn't a democracy, Blaze! It's a dictatorship! You're now my responsibility, and I am the one who is training you!" Heero explained. "You made you're choice!!"

"Hardly!"

"You did! You always have the choice! There isn't time for kindness! There is going to be a war, and if you're not ready for it then they will capture you and they will kill you! Do you understand that?" Heero yelled. "Every minute you waste adds up to days, and that's valuable time! We can't keep protecting you! There will be times where you'll have to know what to do in a matter of seconds, times where you'll have to defend yourself and know how to escape, and you're not ready for that yet!!"

Banging on the far wall interrupted them again. "SHUT UP!!!" Heero and Blaze yelled at once. It stopped immediately.

Blaze's hand shook with anger as she held Heero's precious laptop over the flowing bathwater. "That still doesn't give you the right!"

Heero held out his hand. "Blaze, give me the laptop! That's a precious commodity!"

"Yeah, I know! It's the only thing you seem to care about!" she remarked.

Heero snatched it from her hand. "That's not true." he replied, his voice quieter. He turned his back on her and walked out of the bathroom. "Just get ready for today."

Blaze give him a glare that would have sent Heero to a burning, fiery hell. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she was thinking of him right then, but decided against it. Something inside her told her to use this anger to excel in her training today, more so than Heero would suspect.

Blaze did excel, and in half of the time that Heero estimated, which surprised him and pleased him at the same time. Heero began to instruct her on the uneven bars in Quatre's private gym. 

One day, as Blaze struggled while Heero left her alone to figure out what he had shown her, Trowa came in. She breathed a sigh of relief, and stumbled over to the silent one, leaning on his shoulder for support. "Trowa! Thank goodness it's you."

"What did he do now?" Trowa replied expectantly.

Blaze playfully hit his arm. "Hey! Give me some credit! I just need you to help me."

"With what?"

"I lack a wonderful thing called balance. Teach it to me." Blaze replied simply.

Trowa smiled slightly at this. "Alright."

With Trowa's handy assistance, he taught her how to walk on the high wire (though for Blaze's case, it was the low wire), which in turn gave her much better footing, and therefore a sense of balance. Meanwhile, Wufei recovered Blaze's martial arts skills, so now when she used them, she knew what she was doing and wasn't just reacting unexpectedly. Still, Wufei won most of the time…

Each pilot ended up helping Heero out a little bit, but Heero still did most of the training, since she was placed under his care specifically. Still, it certainly didn't hurt to have some help. Heero mostly used his time with her to train her in the art of stealth. She picked up quickly, as she did with everything else.

One day Heero took Blaze to a shooting arena. He handed her a hand gun. "Do you know how to use this?" he asked.

She looked at the black weapon in her hand. "Just about as basically as everyone else does…" she replied. She pointed to the barrel. "This is the end where the bullets come out when you pull the trigger…. Could it be any more complex than that….?"

Heero began to point out the different parts and define them. "This button is the safety switch. To cock the gun, you pull back on this small lever here. To take out and put in a cartridge, you press this and it'll come out." Blaze watched with not much enthusiasm, but paid enough attention to get the gist. Heero handed her the gun. "Now shoot at that target." He pointed to the target of the black silhouette of a man, which was quite a long ways away. Blaze steadied the gun in both hands and fired off her entire round. In a slow and steady percussion. Once they brought the target forward, they both saw how close the bullet holes were to the center. "Perfect. Do it again. Faster." Heero ordered, as he applied a new target. Blaze changed the cartridge, and aimed again. By the end of the day, Blaze could shoot her gun in a matter of seconds, with exact precision.

Later that night, Heero instructed Blaze in the different types of firearms, and taught her how to disassemble and reassemble weaponry, and how to clean it. She was timed on that as well. In fact, Heero timed her on everything. It was **_most_** annoying.

Blaze stretched her well toned arms up and over her head. "Alright, Heero sir, what great knowledge are you going to bestow upon me today?"

Heero gave her the eye, then took her by her arm. "We're going for a walk."

Blaze followed him. "oooh….." she grinned.

"And I'm going to talk to you about war." Heero added.

"Oh."

They made their way through the residential streets of the underground town, until they came to one of the larger roads, where small shops were set up. They walked by each one, Heero not looking at anything and making sure Blaze kept up with him.

Blaze frowned. "I don't understand why you lead me to these places, and then ignore them."

Heero ignored her comment, and got right to the subject. "There are certain rules of fighting that you need to know. There are certain facts as well." Heero looked at Blaze, making sure she was listening. She looked back at him, expectantly. "All warfare is based on deception."

"Duh." Blaze responded.

"I'm not done."

"Oh."

Silence.

Heero continued with his lecture. "There is a certain code that every fighter abides by. If your enemy is superior, evade him… if angry, irritate him… if equally matched, fight... if not, split and reevaluate. Do you think you can remember that?"

Blaze shot a glare at Heero. "Don't insult my intelligence, Spandex Master!" Heero gave a small grin, and walked on. 'Wow, that was cute…' Blaze thought to herself. The boring lecture of battle strategies and different techniques continued, much to Blaze's unlucky circumstance. Finally, she slowed to a stop.

Heero stopped ahead of her and turned around. "What's wrong?"

"Can we have just a single break? I've been going at this for weeks, now Heero. Just a small break would be appreciated."

"We don't have time for breaks. Come on." Heero replied. Blaze groaned as Heero pulled her along. "There's something I want to introduce to you."

"What is it?" Blaze asked curiously.

"It's a surprise." Heero said, his voice giving away no clues as to how exciting this 'surprise' might be.

"Wow Heero, I didn't think you were the type." Blaze smirked.

He led her into a tall building, taller than the rest, and looking a bit more advanced in its architecture. Inside white wash walls, white marble floor, and bright fluorescent lighting greeted them. They walked past a clerk desk and down a hall where they reached an elevator. As they waited for the light to reach their floor level, Blaze looked around at the hospital type looking place.

"This is cheery…" she mumbled. Heero ignored her, and pulled her into the elevator. They stood inside, silently, waiting as the elevator took them down, further underground. Blaze looked at the mirrors on the wall and ceiling, the asked, "Why do they put mirrors in elevators? Especially on the ceiling…"

Heero gave an annoyed sigh. "Probably to make it not look so small."

Blaze smirked. "I dunno… maybe it's so people can watch themselves as they do stuff in elevators that people don't normally do…" Heero gave her a wide-eyed expression. Blaze shrugged her shoulders and looked at him innocently. "What?! People do it!"

Silence fell momentarily, then Blaze added (just for good measure), "I'm not one of them, of course…"

"I didn't need to know that…." Heero responded stoically, as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Blaze grinned at him, but kept any further comments to herself.

The elevator door slid open, and Heero took a breath of refreshing air, and stepped out of the confined space. Blaze's comment still hung over his shoulder, threatening to invade his mind with interesting thoughts that one would usually keep to themselves. Heero, being the silent stoic type that he is, usually keeps things from popping into his head because such thoughts make him blush.

Blaze walked behind Heero as he led her down a small hall and into an office. There sat a woman with short blue hair that fell slightly over her face. She sat comfortably at her desk in black pants and a white blouse. "Hello, Heero!" she said amiably. Heero nodded his hello, and pulled Blaze forward. "Ah, so this is who you were talking about!!" the woman said, and smiled at Blaze with blue sparkling eyes. She shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Blaze. Heero's told me about you."

Blaze pierced Heero with a brief glance. "I don't doubt it." she replied.

Heero ignored her comment, since he was pretty much use to them, and the best way to deal with her was to ignore them. He motioned a hand at the woman. "Blaze, this is Lucrezia Noin."

"Nice to meet you, Noin." Blaze said.

"She's going to help with teaching how to pilot in zero G." Heero explained. "I'll be teaching you mostly, but she is going to go over the basics with you and strap you in."

"I finally get to know how to work a mobile suit??" Blaze asked with excitement.

Heero shook his head. "You're just going to learn how to move around. The anti-gravity room is much safer than putting you in an actual mobile suit."

"Close enough." Blaze replied. "When do we start?"

"Right now." Noin said. "Lets go. We'll get in uniform. What size are you?"

"I don't know. I don't wear uniforms." Blaze replied uneasily.

"She's probably a small. Maybe a medium, but I doubt it." Heero spoke up. Blaze looked at him with raised eyebrows, and he turned his eyes away from her. "Where do I suit up?"

They met outside thick metal doors, each of them in a black and gray suit. "Alright." Noin started. "When we go inside the gravity will be normal. But I'm going to change that once these doors are closed and we're inside. I'll turn on the anti-gravity switch, and it'll feel a bit weird. You probably won't be use to it. Just for today you're going to spend time to get use to it, alright?"

"Uh, okay…" Blaze said, and scratched her head.

"Well, lets go in!" Noin announced, sounding rather excited. They entered the room, and there was plenty of space. The room itself seemed nearly rounded, like a tunnel. If they thought that the previous places were white, then this one definitely took the cake. Blaze had to squint her eyes until she was able to get use to it. Blaze put a hand over her eyes and checked her surroundings. A computer console was on the right side of the metal doors, and Noin latched them shut with a few clicks of the keys.

There were four seats bolted to the floor, each one looking exactly the same: like the seat of a mobile suit. Noin pointed to them and informed, "When we take away the gravity we can unlatch the chairs and control them by the buttons on the arm. But we're not going to do that today."

Heero stepped next to Blaze and took her hand. "Alright Noin. Take away the gravity." he ordered, then he looked at Blaze with his usual stoic expression. "This'll feel weird at first."

Blaze nodded, not really sure what to expect with the concept of no gravity. Noin typed in some codes, and suddenly a low rumbling started, and Blaze felt herself feel lighter and lighter. Noin walked forward and with each step, she gained farther and farther distance as the gravity dissipated.

Noin took Blaze's other hand. "If this feels too uncomfortable for you, then we'll stop it and start with the antigravity practice with simpler things." Noin peered at her through her hair. "A trainee usually first adapts to antigravity through water training first, otherwise their body can't adapt. But Heero told me to start you right away at this stage."

"I think I'll do fine…" Blaze replied. Her hair started to float around her, and she realized that her feet were an inch above the ground.

"Ready?" Heero asked.

"Ready for what??" Blaze replied, puzzled. Without her knowledge of it, Heero and Noin both kicked off of the ground simultaneously, sending them into an upward spinning motion. Blaze tightened her grip on them automatically, and prepared to hit a wall of some sort, but Heero and Noin turned their feet and hit off of what would have been the ceiling. Heero gave Blaze's hand a tight squeeze, and she opened her eyes.

Noin laughed lightly. "What are you so afraid of, Blaze? This is actually really fun!" Noin let go and floated through the air by herself. 

"I'm not scared! It's just weird! Besides," Blaze added. "Don't you remember the laws of physics? When in space or antigravity, a body in motion stays in motion until altered by some outside force! I don't like to be stopped by a wall."

"You have control of where your body turns." Heero said. He let go of her hand, much to Blaze's disappointment. She wasn't very comfortable floating aimlessly in a room, and she really didn't quite know how to move about of her own free will.

Blaze reached out for Heero's hand as he floated away from her. "Hey!" she scolded. "I wasn't ready!" Her finger tips grasped his, and she clung to him for some sense of control. As she floated in her one spot, Blaze couldn't help but notice that she was starting to turn upside down. "Uh… uh… hey! Right side up. How do I do this??" She glanced Heero, who turned upside down with her, completely unfazed, and not willing to help.

Noin looked at her with interest. "I'm amazed that this zero gravity has no effect on you!"

"No effect?! I can't tell where the hell I'm going or what I'm doing! Che, no effect…." Blaze grumbled.

Noin narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Don't be difficult. You know what I meant. Usually people get nauseated by now if they haven't had previous training."

"Yeah, I know…" Blaze sighed.

Heero glared at Blaze. "Enough fooling around. Come on."

"Phew… okay." Blaze breathed. "But uh… could you help me turn over first?"

"No." Heero responded. He opened his fingers, and Blaze's hand slipped away from him again. She drifted away from him, all the while glaring at him, her expression something similar to a pout.

Blaze kicked her legs, and she drifted towards the floor. As she touched it with her hands, she pushed herself off, propelling herself upwards again. She somersaulted in mid-flight, and hit her head on the ceiling. "Itai!!" she seethed, as she rubbed the sore spot.

"This might take some work…" Noin said as she shook her head. Heero nodded in agreement.

One night, Blaze slumped into her room, Heero behind her, walking slowly to her own sluggish steps. Training had been especially rough lately, and Blaze's head hurt with everything that Heero tried to cram into it on a 24 hour basis.

"Heero, you've been training me nonstop for months now!! I don't care what you say, I'm going to take a break!! Just a single day off!!" Blaze said.

Heero, who was used to her ranting, ignored her. She always said the same thing nearly every night, but she continued onto the next day. He glanced at his laptop, and moved the mouse, disturbing the screensaver. There was a message from Dr. J., and Heero immediately suspected that it was a mission. Finally! It was about time!! He opened the file and read over the e-mail, taking careful mental notes of what was requested. The mission was to be tomorrow.

"Fine." Heero said. "One day off. That's it." He quickly typed up 'mission accepted' and hit enter. Blaze eyed him suspiciously.

"You got a mission, didn't you?" she exclaimed.

"Yes." Heero replied simply. 

Heero sat down in his seat at his laptop, as Blaze laid across his bed with her chin in her hands. "So, what did it say? What do you have to do?"

Heero narrowed his eyes at the screen. "ESUN is shipping large quantities of gundanium to Earth for mecha productions. It's probably for their new mobile suit model. I have to destroy it to slow down their productions."

"Let me go with you?" Blaze pleaded.

"No." Heero said flatly.

Blaze let out a whine. "But Heero! Why not??"

"You're not fully trained yet."

"So?" Blaze defied. "I know enough!"

Heero turned his eyes towards her, his eyes once again starting to glaze with the ice he always kept. "How do you know? You're my responsibility. I say you're not ready, I'm not going to let you do something foolish."

"Do you think I'd screw up?" Blaze shot back, her voice rising. "You know while you're training me, perhaps you could teach me some confidence! All of this stuff is useless if you say that I won't be able to do it!"

Heero grounded his teeth in aggravation. "There is nothing to argue about, Blaze! I'm not going to let you get hurt!"

Blaze's eyes softened at that, and Heero noticed it. He immediately looked away from her. "You can spend the day with Trowa. You two get along, so I'm sure that's not a problem."

"No… I guess it isn't." Blaze whispered, as she sat up and looked at her hands. "Why do you protect me?"

Heero took in a slight breath. "Because I have to."

"Why?"

"Because Dr. J. told me to."

"Is that the only reason?" Blaze looked up at him, questioningly.

Heero turned his head away from her. "You should go to bed."

Blaze scowled. She hated it when he avoided her questions. "I'm not tired any more."

"Yes you are. I can hear it in your voice. Stop being so stubborn all of the time." Heero scolded.

"But if I'm not stubborn then I'm not myself! And if I'm not myself then who else would I be?" Blaze replied mockingly.

"Just go to sleep." Heero said softly. He looked at her again, his mask back on his cold and handsome features.

"What are you going to do?" Blaze asked as Heero clenched and unclenched his hands, preparing to type some more.

"I need to schedule where the shuttles are going and when I should encounter them." Heero replied.

"Are you going to use Wing?" Blaze asked. Heero nodded. Now was their time for action. Blaze sighed at this, and felt sleep start to weigh her down. She soon fell asleep to the sound of Heero's typing.

Heero paused in his work and glanced at her, asleep in his bed. He got up quietly and leaned over her, turning off the lamp on the nightstand between their beds. Now the room was dark, except for the light of his computer screen. He debated moving her or not, and she shifted, her face resting against his hand that was on the pillow from when he had leaned over. Moments passed as he stared at her, and his logic tried to make sense of the illogical. Emotions wasn't his area of expertise, and they often left him all scrambled up (like Duo's terrible cooking). His emotions told him to do multiple things, and he didn't know which voice to listen to.

Heero blinked in confusion. He softly stroked her soft cheek with his thumb, and then removed his hand. He felt as if he had just broken a taboo of some sort. He felt he had crossed a line that he wasn't meant to cross, and reprimanded himself in his head. To quickly reserve himself, he returned to his laptop and continued his work, blocking out the moment before with things he understood. Technology. Mathematics. Calculations. A mission.


	11. “What the hell were you doing in my gund...

AN: YAY!!!! Another chapter out!!! *blows party favors* The ending seems pretty dragged out to me, but maybe that's just how I was when I was trying to write it. *heavy sigh* Oh well. We all have our off days, do we not? ~_~;;

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Special note #1: GREAT BIG SPECIAL THANK YOU TO DARKSLAYER!!!! I feel so honored when I have the approval of a Duo fan for my Heero fanfic!!! ^___________^

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Special note #2: I recommend everyone to read "From Another Point of View" (a fellow GW fic) cuz my two friends Darkslayer and AnimeFreak452 are writing it. It's super funny and great, and for some reason they're having a lack of reviews (which I can't possibly begin to understand, cuz their fic is so cool.) So, I promote them! PROMOTE PROMOTE!!!! Although its written by both, it's under Darkslayer.

With that done, let the fic commence!!

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Chapter 11: "What the hell were you doing in my gundam??"

Blaze woke up to find herself in Heero's bed. At first she was perplexed because the room looked slightly different. Then the smell of Heero drifted up from the pillow, and she blushed despite herself. Heero was not around. The room was empty, and deathly silent. Blaze stretched in her position, melting in the comfort of Heero's soft bed. She then noticed that she hadn't changed from the day before, and that she was under his covers. She wasn't when she fell asleep, and she didn't recall waking up in the middle of the night to pull them over herself. Did Heero do it? She didn't know. Maybe she didn't remember pulling the covers up. She rolled over, and looked at the clock. She sat up suddenly. "I actually slept in???" she commented to the air, as the clock stared back at her reading 9:36 a.m. She pushed the covers off and stood up to get dressed.

Blaze exited her room and walked down towards the right end of the hall, that broke out into a lounge room. She went up a flight of stairs and found a large dining area and a massive kitchen. People were seated everywhere since this was a public building, and Blaze squinted through all of the different faces until she noticed a rather familiar chestnut braid next to a man with peculiar bangs.

"Ah ha!" she grinned, and hurried to join her comrades.

She pulled up a nearby chair and sat in it with the chair turned backwards. She placed her head on her arms, which were on the top of the chair. "Hey you two… What's up?"

"Nothing exciting…." Duo said grumpily.

"What's up with you?" Blaze asked curiously.

Trowa responded for his comrade. "He's jealous that Heero got a mission."

"Ooohhh……" she nodded. "Yeah, I'm not happy with it either." A frown covered her pretty features. "Heero wouldn't let me go with him! How the heck can I get better if I don't have any experience??"

Trowa gave her a small smile. "You'll get your chance."

"Yeah…" Duo commented. "Probably before I will!"

"The universe would have to collapse before that happened…." Blaze grinned. "I doubt I'll be sent to work any time soon. Which is annoying since I'm actually trying with this."

"You know he's only protecting you." Trowa said.

"yeah, he covered that last night when we argued over it." Blaze sighed. Her mind flashed back to the question she had asked him after that, and the lack of an answer that he gave. What did it mean?? It could mean one thing… but that one thing couldn't possibly be it. Not with Heero. Not no way, not no how. Blaze merely continued, skipping over that detail. "He knows that he can't protect me forever though."

"heh…." Duo laughed. "Don't bother telling him that, he'll never listen to you. He still protects Relena for God's sake!"

Trowa shot Duo a glance, but made no comment. Blaze, however, was completely oblivious to it. She merely stared off in question. "I'd like to meet her some time…."

"You probably will." Trowa replied.

"When?" Blaze asked, lifting her chin off of the palm of her hand.

"When Heero has to rescue her." Trowa replied.

"Yeah…" Duo added. "That dame always has a way of getting into trouble. I've lost the number of times that she would have been dead if she wasn't saved by either Heero or one of us."

"Not very smart with caution, I'd say…" Blaze commented.

Duo laughed at that. "You have no idea!!"

Blaze walked with Trowa through the streets, this time actually looking at the small shops that they passed. There was jewelry, food, hand-made clothing, blankets, artwork, pottery… the number of different items seemed limitless.

"When do you think you'll get a mission?" Blaze asked the silent one.

"When I'm needed."

Blaze scowled and looked at animal rock carvings. "But you're needed now."

Trowa sighed. "I know. But we have to be cautious in the beginning. Slow but steady steps, Blaze. Slow but steady."

"Thus qouthe the Trowa. Nevermore." Blaze joked. Trowa glanced at her with a small smile. Blaze then approached a stand where pretty dresses hung from hangars along the outside. They felt soft and light to the touch, and looked similar to robes. The bead work on them weaved in intricate patterns, every pattern different. "These are very pretty…" she whispered.

"Do you want one?" Trowa asked casually. He never had a problem with buying gifts. He did it for Catherine sometimes.

"No, it's fine. I don't want you to waste your money." Blaze replied, waving his offer off.

"It's not a problem." Trowa replied. "What color do you want?"

Blaze blushed. "Trowa, it's okay!" He merely stared down at her with his green eyes, waiting for her to cave. "Fine! Fine. Okay. But I hope you know you're killing my conscience. Uh…." she peered at the selection. "How about… the magenta one?"

The two friends walked along again, this time Blaze holding her new dress. "What do you think Heero will think??" She asked curiously. She quickly wanted to take back those words, as they obviously gave away too much. Trowa looked at her side-long, then back ahead of him.

"He'll probably like it." Trowa replied. Then he added, "But don't expect him to say it."

"I never expect anything close to a compliment from the ambiguous Heero Yuy!" Blaze joked.

Heero came back later into the night, at around 10 p.m. The flight he had to take with Wing was long, and he had to make sure he had done the job completely, leaving only random scraps of debris that blended with all of the other old debris fields from the previous wars. He tiredly set down his gundam and got out. He would reload it and check its database in the morning. Right now, he needed some well deserved sleep.

He entered his and Blaze's room, and the lighting was dim compared to the brightness of the hangar where his gundam was laid to rest. Blaze was sitting up in her bed, reading a book when he walked in. He glanced at her, then proceeded to sit on his bed and take off his shoes.

"Well," Blaze said. "How did it go?"

"Perfect." Heero replied absently.

"That's good…." she whispered. Suddenly she remembered the dress that Trowa had treated her to. "Hey, Heero! I want to show you something!!"

Heero groaned and laid on his bed with his arm over his eyes, but he still peered at her from underneath it. Blaze brought the magenta dress out of the closet and held it up against herself.

"What do you think? Trowa got it for me." Blaze exclaimed. Without giving Heero time to answer, she kept talking. "I'm going to try it on and show you. I showed everyone else and they all approved. I want to know what you think."

"What I think doesn't matter." Heero mumbled.

"Oh silence, you! Of course it does. You're my sensei!!" Blaze smiled, acting rather childlike. "I'll be right out." She hurried into the bathroom and changed, and came out a few minutes later with the dress on her slender form. She spun in it for effect. "what do you think?"

There was no response from the observer, and upon closer inspection, Blaze realized that Heero had fallen asleep. She shook her head. "Typical…." she muttered. She sighed to herself, and sat next to him on his bed. He didn't move, he didn't respond. He was lost in his exhaustion. She gave a short laugh to herself, and pulled the covers over Heero. He removed his arm from over his eyes, and shifted to his side, facing her. The clock ticked as she gazed at him, and she blinked a couple of times.

She brushed his bangs away from his face, heat radiating from him. His bangs were slightly sweaty, and she ran her fingers through his hair from his bangs across the side, to cool him off a little. A small sigh escaped from his slightly parted lips, and she smiled.

She pushed herself up off the bed, her hand brushing his shoulder slightly in a secret caring manner. Blaze pried her mind away from the sleeping Stoic Sex God, and brought her mind back to the task at hand. She quickly went into the bathroom again, and this time changed into a blank tank top and loose cotton pants. She quietly put on her sneakers, and turned off the light. In the dark she shoved her clothes under her bed to make it look like her, all the while Heero completely unaware of it.

Using the handy-dandy stealth that Heero had taught her, she was able to creep out of the room without waking him up. It worked even more so, since he seemed to be sleeping like a log (if logs did sleep, which they don't, which renders this phrase completely useless). She snuck down the hall, which was nearly dark from the dimness of the lights on the wall.

Blaze crept her way into the hangar with cat-like skill, and peered at the resting Wing Zero. She narrowed her eyes. 'Heero, if you're not going to train me in a mobile suit, then I'll just have to learn through observation!' she thought . She was tired of Heero not teaching her how to pilot a suit. All she had ever learned was how to move around, and that's only with those stupid seats in the antigravity room.

After hours of attempting to hack into one of the side panels to open the cockpit, Blaze gave an aggravated slam on the buttons and the door popped open. "Figures…" she grumbled to herself. She climbed in, and sat in Heero's gundam in the still of the night. "Oooh….. If he finds out I'm in here then that'll be the end of it!!!" she muttered. She turned on the control panel of the cockpit by pressing a few buttons on the seat arm, which she learned from inside the antigravity room.

Blaze looked at the row of buttons with complete confusion, as she attempted to recall all she had read in those ridiculous mobile suit magazines and blueprints. Nothing came to mind that could help her with a gundam, which was to be expected since the mecha was unique. Blaze sighed, as time weighed heavily on her. She brought her legs up in Heero's piloting seat, completely unsure of what to do. 'Next time you decide to sneak into someone's gundam, know how to work it!!' she scolded herself mentally. Her eyes itched with sleep, but she refused to fall asleep. She sat in silence, thinking of what to do.

A while later, a 'clink' sound woke Blaze slightly from her slumber. Her eyes were half open, as she tried to place what the sound was from. 'It was just a rat…' Blaze's mind told her. She accepted it. 'Press that button…' A voice in her head said. She obeyed, still half asleep. She pressed the commanded button, and static showed on the screen. She pressed a nearby button that looked like: '' and suddenly the static was replaced by images rewinding quickly. She pressed the first button, which was play, and the video images went forward, and she watched, from Heero's perspective, as he destroyed the shuttles. Once the tape was over, she rewound it and watched it again. And again. Though she didn't quite understand Heero's train of thought, she did begin to learn how to fight with a mobile suit.

Once her eyes began to droop again, she watched the video until she reached the static, and then turned off the power to the gundam.

She snuck back into the room and was surprised to find that Heero was still asleep, and she had actually gotten away with something for once. She changed into her night clothes, and silently put all of the clothes from her bed back into the dresser. Finally, she lied down and went to sleep.

Blaze was given a **_very_** rude awakening. Heero ripped the covers off of her, and pulled her out of bed by her arm. "Ahh! Heero, what the hell??" Blaze cried, as she stumbled out of bed from his harsh pull. Heero shoved her up against the wall, his eyes angrier than she'd ever seen them at her.

"What the hell were you doing in my gundam??" Heero shouted at her.

"What???" Blaze said shocked. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!!" Heero tightened his grip on her arm, and she struggled against him.

"Don't **_LIE _**to me, Blaze!!" Heero yelled. "I went to check the video file, and it said it was last opened at 2:33 this morning!!"

"What makes you think it was me??" Blaze shot back, as she masked the lie behind her eyes.

"Because no one else would have any reason to break into my gundam!" Heero shouted. "They all know better than to touch Wing, and you do too! So why the hell did you do it??"

Blaze clenched her mouth shut, and looked away from him.

"Look at me!" Heero shook her by her shoulders. "Answer my question!"

Blaze shrunk against the wall. "Heero, stop holding me!!"

"You answer my question!!" Heero shot back.

"Heero, you're hurting me!!!" Blaze cried. Tears stung the corners of her eyes, and started to build up. Heero widened his eyes slightly, and loosened his grip on her. Still, he didn't let her go.

"Answer me." Heero demanded, no longer yelling.

"What did you expect??" Blaze yelled at him, her eyes full of anger. "You haven't taught me jack!! Yes, I know how to fight hand to hand, but what good is that? This is going to be a war with mobile suits! Mechas!! I don't know how to freaking use one!! How else am I suppose to learn if you don't teach me??"

Heero let her go forcefully. "So you admit it. You broke into my gundam."

"Yes, I do admit it!!" Blaze yelled. She clenched her fists at her sides. "You won't teach me how to pilot a mobile suit! My time of learning this crap is very limited!! We only have a couple of months left before the war starts, and that's assuming that Hampshire's stupid freaking postponement follows through. We don't know if he'll decide to start the party early, now do we?? What good will I be if I can't pilot a gundam??"

Heero looked at his feet, and crossed his arms. He sighed heavily, knowing she was right on that. "But still… that doesn't give you the right to do what you did." He looked at her again, and she refused to meet his eyes. "If you have a problem, or if you have a question, then you confront me on it! Don't go behind my back, Blaze! That doesn't give you my trust!"

Blaze scoffed. "I don't expect to get your trust, Heero. You never trusted me, not from day one." She rubbed her arms slightly, and then crossed them.

Heero glanced at her action. "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes." she answered. "That's why I said, 'Heero, you're hurting me'. But I guess you were a bit too busy to hear that."

Heero shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry." he mumbled.

Blaze shook her head. "You shouldn't be the one to apologize first. I'm sorry I broke your trust."

Heero backed away from her, and shook his head aimlessly. "Get dressed. We'll start training again today. I'll bring you into the piloting simulations."

Heero stepped out of the room, leaving Blaze to her privacy. All of his comrades immediately began to act casual outside the door, standing in various sections in the hall. Heero rolled his eyes. Like he couldn't tell that they were listening in? Duo slung an arm around Heero, and slugged him lightly in the shoulder.

"It's so nice to see you two kiss and make up!" Duo grinned.

"Shut up, Duo." Heero demanded. Quatre giggled behind his hand, but kept his comments to himself.

"What level will you start her on in the simulation?" Wufei asked.

"I'm not sure. We'll see." Heero replied. "I have to teach her the parts in the cockpit. I have to teach her a lot. She's right, there's not much time."

"You only didn't teach her that yet because you want to keep protecting her." Trowa said from the far wall. Heero turned and walked away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Heero said simply.

Trowa peered at him with his emerald eye. "Sure you don't, Yuy." He narrowed his eyes slightly in annoyance. Sometimes Heero's emotional constipation annoyed even him.

After a while of taking the time to learn the parts of a mobile suit, Blaze was finally put to the ultimate test. Or at least it felt like the ultimate test to her. Heero helped her strap into the simulation, as her pulse pounded in her ears from sheer nervousness. She nervously cracked her knuckles, and waited for Heero to leave the cockpit before she closed the solid metal door. He glanced back as she pressed the few buttons, and the door sealed her away in the small space. The small room that she had to work with was very uncomfortable, and she had the feeling that there wasn't enough air.

"Geez…" she muttered, as she typed in the commands to turn on the mobile suit (simulation-wise). "One would think that with all of this technological intelligence, that they could put an air conditioner or a fan or something in here!"

The control panel lit up, and Blaze checked all of the red lights, carefully recalling what she was taught. A lot of it was hard to keep track of, and she spent plenty of useless time making sure it was green across the board.

A simulation battlefield appeared on her screens, giving the illusion that her surroundings were real. She took a deep breath as she watched the radar repeatedly blink, each time with red dots appearing on the perimeter. She raised the buster rifle on the mobile suit, and put up her defenses. 

A voice suddenly said in her head, 'what if something goes wrong?'

Blaze clenched her teeth. 'Nothing will go wrong.' she responded silently. 'This is just a simulation. I can handle it.'

She squeezed her eyes shut and buried all of the doubt, then opened them again. "Lets just get this over with."

Blaze immediately fired her buster rifle to the right, taking out two advancing mobile suits. What type were these? Taurus suits. She watched her radar as a suit advanced on her from behind, and she pulled back on her controls, her mobile suit doing a back flip and landing behind the mobile suit. She blasted directly into its back, and the shot erupted the Taurus suit, and went through and took out the one in front of it.

She pulled out her beam saber, and sliced through more Taurus suits, her mind working quickly. 'Alright! I'm doing good!!' she thought to herself with a grin. A shot rocked her from behind suddenly, and she suffered from a slight case of whiplash. "Karma. Karma I say…." she muttered. A suit advanced on her from ahead, as the one behind her prepared to fire again. She pushed forward her joysticks and pressed the button on the left one, and she rocketed forth, igniting the gundam behind her with the flames of the thrusters; she skewered the Taurus in front of her, and flung it at two nearby Taurus's just as it exploded.

There were ten dots on her radar, and Taurus suits were beginning to surround her. She wasn't fast enough. Another shot hit her on the left. She **_really_** wasn't fast enough. She could already see Heero cynically shaking his head at her poor efforts. She clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes. She pushed the joysticks forward, and plowed through the mobile suits in her path, slicing vigorously as she went. A pile of smoking debris was left behind her, as she thrust forth at high speeds. She turned upwards, spiraling away from the ground. A chain of Taurus suits followed, and she brought out her buster rifle again. She turned back to face them, and fired down the middle. The blast made direct contact with a suit, and it exploded, setting a chain reaction.

Still, there were more that were left. They came from all sides. There were five of them, and her buster rifle was wasted. She clenched the beam saber, her knuckles whitening around the joysticks. 

She peered at the surrounding mobile suits. She spotted a weak point behind her to the left, and she pulled back and spun around, catching two of the mobile suits on the crackling light of her saber. Another hit crashed her to the ground, and thick clouds of dirt covered her screens. She looked at the radar. The eight mobile suits were practically on top of her!! Another hit, and the red lights started to flash in her cockpit, which jerked around roughly. The joysticks shook in her hands as she attempted to gain control.

Blaze pulled out her shield and swiped off the legs the Taurus suit that was in front of her, and it crashed to the ground and exploded. Pieces of debris hit her mobile suit, as she held up her shield to block the larger, blazing chunks. The suit on its right fell to the floor, with its left half melted crackling with haywire electricity.

Blaze's muscles were tired, and her eyes itched. Her jaw was sore from all of the teeth clenching she was maintaining during this simulation, and her neck and shoulders hurt from the whiplash.

"I need to finish…" she whispered. The red flashing lights and the warning alarm was making her hearing go numb with the ringing. The cockpit began to spin around her, and she blinked repeatedly to clear the image. The cockpit kept shaking with each hit, causing her to smack her head against the side vid screen. Wasn't this just suppose to be a simulation?? Why did it seem to hurt so much?

Suddenly everything stopped, and the screens went blue, then turned off. The cockpit went upright, and Blaze wasn't doing the controlling. She took her hands away from the controls, as she realized that the simulation was over. She slumped back in her seat, her harness no longer digging into her skin. She rubbed her eyes as the cockpit door opened, and Duo came in.

"I thought I was going to get to finish it…" she mumbled, as Duo unbuckled her.

"Hey, you did really good!" Duo complimented.

"I didn't get to finish!!" Blaze shot back. She flinched as Duo helped her out of the seat.

"You're in no position to be heroic right now." Duo replied with a grin. "You still surprised us. You strong woman! Strong! Strong woman make Wuffie grumble! Strong woman showed Wufei that women no weak!!" Duo's lopsided grin and bright eyes made Blaze laugh, and give a slight tug on his braid. A grunt came out of him when she did that.

"Ooh! It's like an automatic response!" Blaze said amiably. She pulled on his braid again, and Duo grunted again in response. 

She pulled again. Grunt. 

Pull. Grunt. 

Pull- "stop it already!!"

"Okay…" 

He helped her out of the simulation, and to the ground where the rest of them stood and waited.

Blaze glared at Heero as Duo placed her on the ground. "You stopped the simulation, didn't you??" she said accusingly.

Heero quickly put up his defenses. "It was Noin's suggestion."

"And you listened to her!" Blaze shot back. "Don't try to get out of it, Heero! You didn't let me finish."

"You were about to lose anyway." Heero replied. "Noin suggested it when you were surrounded. I waited until I was more positive."

Blaze glared at him and clenched her sore hands. "I ought to smack you right now."

Heero merely glared back at her. "You'll get your chance another time."

"To smack you? You bet your ass I will!"

"No. I mean to beat the simulation." Heero corrected. He started to walk away.

"You didn't let me finish!! What the heck is the matter with you??" Blaze shouted as she stomped after him.

Heero spun on her and pointed his finger at her. "I waited, positive that you would beat it. But you didn't get up, and those suits in the simulator were beating you. My actions weren't unreasonable!"

"What, did you think I had gone unconscious in there??" Blaze retorted.

"It had been a possibility. What was I suppose to think?" Heero shot back. "I'm training you, not trying to kill you. I'm not going to put you under such conditions where you would have to waste time recovering."

Everyone stood in amusement, watching this argument.

Blaze crossed her arms across her chest and pouted stubbornly. "You suck." she said simply, and walked past him.

Heero stood there and watched her walk away from him. She went 7 paces, then swayed on her feet. Heero reached her just as her legs decided to stop supporting her, and she fell in exhaustion. Heero caught her and easily lifted her up into his arms. "I believe I have proven my point." Heero said with a slight grin of triumph.

"Shut up and get me to bed." Blaze grumbled as she blushed. She waved at everyone as Heero carried her away.

Moments later, Noin said, "That was just too cute."

"It's disgusting…" Wufei spat.

"Wufei…." Quatre said kindly. "Shut up."

Duo erupted into laughter and clapped his hands. "You just got **_owned_** Wuffie!!!"

Wufei's face turned red. Trowa grinned at Quatre, and shook his head. He glanced back at where Heero and Blaze had left. He sighed to himself. They were so typical. Both of them.

Blaze pushed herself out of Heero's arms and walked into their room on her own, despite her complaining muscles. 'I could have finished it!' she thought to herself angrily. The atmosphere surrounding her was hot with her anger, and Heero noticed it. Still, he didn't regret the action that he took. She'll have another chance, it's not the end of the world.

He watched her slowly sway to their bathroom, and stood there, listening to the faucet of the sink running. A couple of minutes later she came out with a hot hand towel draped over her neck. She lied down with her head facing away from him, completely ignoring his presence. Great. The silent treatment. Just what Heero needed. He sighed quietly to himself, and checked his mail.

His laptop informed him of another mission. So soon? He opened it, eager to finally be doing something useful for this war (no offense towards Blaze, of course). His eyes narrowed as he read the information.

'A group of Arabic pacifists are being held hostage, and may possibly be assassinated. Among them are Relena Dorlian Peacecraft, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for ESUN, and Abdel Malcolm, the representative of the pacifist Winner foundation of Arab nations.

They were having a meeting to the promotion of pacifism to avoid the upcoming war. Hampshire's forces invaded their meeting hall in Ankara, Turkey, and are now holding them hostage. Hampshire is requesting that they sign a legal document stating their support of the war, otherwise they will all be assassinated.

This is obviously an illegal operation, and if they do not comply, then they will be killed and Hampshire will place their deaths as the fault of the colonies.

Go with the other pilots to defeat Hampshire's forces and retrieve the pacifists. The number of enemies are unknown. Proceed with caution. Take Blaze for her first mission, as I presume she is trained well enough.'

The address, map, and blueprints of the building were enclosed with the e-mail. Tomorrow. The mission was tomorrow. He looked at Blaze, who was asleep in her bed. Despite what she had said, he knew that she was sore from the simulation. Still, Dr. J. requested that she go with them.

Heero went over to her bedside and shook her awake. Blaze batted his hand away and said, "Go away, Heero. I'm not talking to you."

Heero kept his smart ass comment to himself for the time being, and said, "I have a mission tomorrow."

Blaze lifted her head up and looked at him. "Oh good! That means you can leave tomorrow and I won't have to deal with you for the entire day!! In fact, why don't you just go now ??" With that said, she blew a raspberry at him and put her head back into the pillow.

Heero narrowed his eyes. Why did she always have to act like this? He put his hand on her shoulder and rolled her onto her back so she looked at him. He explained, "You have to go with me."

"That's nice." she replied.

"Do you feel up to it?" Heero asked.

Blaze glared at him. "Of course I feel up to it. Why wouldn't I?"

Heero squeezed her arm and she flinched. "That's why. Would you be well enough to go on a mission with the rest of us?"

"Gggrrr…… pest." Blaze grumbled. "Yeah, I'll go. I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"You do. If you're not going to be able to function accordingly, then you would be a handicap." Heero said as he got up.

Just as he turned his back on her, Blaze's pillow hit the back of his head. The stoic pilot stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. He could feel Blaze's fiery glare burning into his back.

"That's flattering!!" she yelled at him. "You're a real motivational speaker, you know that Heero??"

Heero smirked as he walked back to his laptop. "I try." Blaze growled, and he simply said, "It worked didn't it?"

Blaze clenched her fists, but finally gave up. She fell back onto her bed and muttered, "Oye vey…" She rubbed her sore muscles and stretched in her position. Damn it. Now she had to get up and get the pillow. As she pushed herself up she said, "Double oye vey with whipped cream on top!!!"

Heero looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Blaze looked back at him, and a grin spread across her previously frowning features. "What're you thinking of Heero??"

Heero looked surprised for a second, then replied, "Nothing like that."

"Ssssuuuuurrreeee……" Blaze drawled.

Heero attempted to ignore her as she got her pillow and threw it on her bed. Heero typed his response to the mission that was just assigned. 'click, clickity, click, click' 'grumble grumble'. The clicking stopped, as Blaze gave a little whine in response to her stomach. Heero continued. 'clickity, click, click, click……'

"Heeeeeero…….." Blaze whined. She climbed over his bed and sat on the side next to him. She put her head on his shoulder childishly. "I love you!!!!"

Blaze was given an icy glare in response.

"Heero, can you please, pretty, pretty please get me something to eat??" Blaze pleaded.

Heero ignored her and continued typing. What was he, her slave?? 'clickity, click, clickity, click-' Blaze wrapped her arms around Heero's waist, and all his actions ceased. She rocked back and forth with poor Heero in her grasp.

"ppppppppppppppllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeeeee????????????????????"

Heero crossed his arms as Blaze moved him side to side, the chair squeaking annoyingly. He could handle this. Then Blaze took it a step further. She sat herself into Heero's lap, with her arms wrapped around his neck, and continued rocking back and forth. He couldn't handle that.

"Plllllleeeeeaaaaassssssseeeeee??????????? Perty, perty please???????"

Heero cleared his dry throat. "Blaze…. Get off of me." She looked at him with a masked expression, and Heero refused to look her in the eye. 

"Why?" she replied.

"Because." Heero shot back.

"That's your answer? 'Because'? You'll have to do better than that." Blaze said amiably. God, was it fun to toy with him…

But two could play that game. Heero wasn't exactly the type to be bold, but he did want her off of his lap. Badly. Fight fire with fire.

Blaze's smile dropped as she felt Heero's arm go around her waist. "Heero…. What are you doing?"

Heero glanced at her, and suddenly his ingenious plan backfired. Those weird feelings that he wasn't familiar with began to flow into his consciousness again, and he swallowed them down before they surfaced. Not only were these strange emotions floating around him like those dizzy swirls in the cartoons, he now had his male hormones to control.

Blaze's eyes stared back at Heero, and she didn't know what to do, nor what to say. _Was he going to do what she wanted him to…? _

"I'll get you that food you wanted so badly…." Heero said quietly and quickly, eager to regain his self-control before something happened. 

_…Obviously not._


	12. Relena smiled, “How have you been?” “We...

AN: OMG!!!!!! *bows repeatedly* GOMEN NASAI GOMEN NASAI GOMEN NASSSSAAAAAAIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!! Forgive the almighty humble Heero's Girl for taking so long!!!! I've had the greatest case of writer's block, and I'm finally FREE!!!!!! *laughs hysterically* Well, I know the wait was long and all, but I believe this chapter will be WORTH IT!!!!

P.S.: I will no longer say that I will get chapters out soon, for such comments are to be null and void (as you can plainly see).

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Chapter 12: Relena smiled, "How have you been?" "We're at war now. How do you think I've been?"

The red light of the setting sun caused the tall white building to look as if it had been stained with blood. And so it would be, before the night was through. Hampshire's men were going to have hell to pay once the gundam pilots were through with them. 

Heero, Blaze, and Duo crept along the outside wall towards the back. Trowa and Quatre were going to sneak in through the left entrance, and break into the security room, to keep the guards from sounding the alarm for intruders. Meanwhile, Wufei was busy setting up explosives on the south-east corner of the building, which would attract the attention of nearly all of Hampshire's men, save for the ones in the banquet hall where the pacifists were being held hostage.

Blaze suppressed the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks and greet the day. Heero held her hand, keeping her close to his side. It was only for Heero's caution of her safety, but it still took away some of her concentration, as she willed her hand not to go sweaty while he held it firmly in his grasp. She kept glancing back at Duo, and Duo kept making silent remarks to her with his violet eyes and mischievous grin. 'I hope he's not plotting anything that will forever throw me into the pit of humiliation….' Blaze thought to herself with a worried frown.

The sound of their footsteps merged with the sound of the rattling leaves, stirred alive by the breeze. Blaze tucked back a loose strand of light brown hair that had freed itself from her ponytail. Duo did the same with his braid.

Around the corner they heard the whispers of hushed voices. Men were talking. Two… no, three of them. Guards, watching the back door. The two pilots and pilot-in-training stayed hidden behind the corner. There was no reason to make their presence known. Wufei would take the guards' attention soon enough…

Wufei stepped over the two guards he had knocked out, and pulled their limp bodies behind a nearby bush. He quickly began to set up his equipment, eager to get to the fun part. He always did enjoy things that exploded with a satisfying 'boom'. He strapped the explosive to the wall of the building, and turned on the electric device. Once Wufei was hiding within the branches of one of the taller trees from a much farther distance, a smirk played on his sly Asian features. With a press of the button a large fiery explosion punctuated a large hole in the south-east corner of the large building. Chunks of stone flew away, showering the entire area within a 60 foot radius. A large gaping hole became visible through the cloud of dust, and once that settled, the interior of the first and second floor were visible of the three story edifice. Wufei dusted off his hands proudly.

The explosion rocked the entire foundation, startling everything within range. Men ran towards the action, eager to see the cause, and catch who threatened their mission.

Relena and the other Arabic pacifists heard the rumble and felt the entire foundation shake. The glass balls on the chandelier clattered loudly, as a few objects around the large banquet hall fell, while small bits of debris fell from the columns and ceiling from the shock. People fell to the floor, others clutched the walls or a nearby chair or table.

"What in heaven's name was that?!" shouted the man who held them hostage. His thick black eyebrows creased with anger and confusion.

"W-we don't know, Captain Bannan, sir!! Someone must have bombed the building!!" said a nearby guard.

"Idiots! Don't they know we hold the Arabic pacifists and the Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian herself??" raged the blue clad officer. "Why weren't the alarms sounded for an intrusion?? What are those guards in the surveillance room doing?? Sleeping?!"

Quatre and Trowa sat back amiably as they watched the camera to the banquet hall as if it were and entertaining movie. "There goes Wufei…" Quatre said with a smile.

"I bet he enjoyed himself…" Trowa remarked.

Behind them two men lay unconscious on the floor, but the two pilots paid no heed to them.

Wufei watched as a large number of ESUN soldiers (also to be known as previous Preventers) flocked to the source of the explosion. Not that it was hard to miss, since there was a very big hole in a very big building. The shouts of the men rose across the small clearing and to the tree where Wufei hid in the shadows.

"Where's the intruder?? Who did this??"

"Why aren't the alarms sounded??"

"Four of you go to the surveillance room!! Check on our men!! You five go and guard our prisoners. The rest of you spread out and find who did this!!"

At that moment Wufei leaped out of the tree, and drew forth his katana. He stepped out of the shelter of the leaves and into the clear view of the soldiers. "You wouldn't be happening to look for me, would you?"

The leader, a man with blonde hair slicked back and small glasses, pointed at him. "It was you?!"

"What do you think, you weakling?!" Wufei shouted, taunting him with his smirk.

"Gggrrr…. How DARE YOU!!!! After him, men!!!!" The blonde leader sprung at him, and Wufei leaped back gracefully. A line of 15 men, leader included, sprang after him, forgetting their previous orders. Wufei retreated back into the shelter of the trees where he could truly fight each weak fighter.

As Wufei ran, he threw over his shoulder, "You're all pathetic!!!"

Nothing like giving them a little motivation…

Once the guards had left their post, Heero, Blaze, and Duo snuck into the building. As they walked along the silent hall, Blaze shook her hand loose to hold her gun in both hands. Heero glanced back at her, but let her be. It with benefit them both if he wasn't so protective. The light of the elegant lamps with their frosted glass shades pointing upwards gave the building a nice touch. The silence and absence of people made it eerie and foreboding.

Heero and Duo had memorized the blueprints, so they knew where they were going, whereas Blaze was left to confusion by all of the turns that they took. At first she attempted to keep track in case of emergencies, but gave up after the seventh turn they took.

The hostages sat in silence, as did the guards in the banquet hall. Finally, Captain Bannan spoke up, brandishing a very large, very intimidating gun. "That's it!! All of you are to sign this document this second if you value your lives!!" 

The hostages looked helplessly at one another, with the exception of Relena and Abdel Malcolm, Quatre's business representative of the Winner Foundation. Relena was use to this sort of thing, whereas Malcolm had to stand his ground, being the Arab leader that he was. His strength and trustworthiness is what convinced Quatre to give him his responsibility. Now as Quatre and Trowa watched, the blonde boy was glad that he had made the right choice.

A few of the hostages stood up to approach the document that sat on the table, ready to give up peace for their own lives.

"Make haste!" The Captain shouted, his face red with anger.

More hostages stood up, and Relena balked at this. "Stop it!" she shouted. "How can you all be so selfish and cowardly? What are you _fighting_ for?! You have dedicated your lives to Pacifism, yet you are so eager to throw it away! Don't you understand? This is what Hampshire wants!!"

"SHUT UP!!!!" shouted Captain Bannan, his coal-black eyes burning holes into her. He drew back his large hand and back-handed the small woman clean across the jaw. Relena fell to the ground in shock, her left cheek numb with pain. Malcolm helped her to her feet.

The three infiltrators entered into a large room with doors on all sides, and went across to the opposite end and exited, appearing in the large banquet hall. In the middle of the large room were the Pacifists, cowering together, while Hampshire's men surrounded them like wolves around sheep, waiting for the kill.

Bannan spun around at the sound of their entrance, and pointed his weapon shakily in the air. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't see them in the shadows, and the columns were adequate hiding places. He clenched his jaw, and motioned with his head that three guards go over and bring the intruders out. The guards obeyed, went towards the three that hid from them, and then were promptly knocked out.

Heero was the first to come out with his gun raised, aimed directly at the leader. Bannan did not waiver his weapon, and the other guards, two of them, brandished their weapons at the Heero. Then Duo came out, his gun raised as well, Heero's defense. The two advanced slowly, arms steady.

Bannan grabbed Relena, with the gun pointed to her head. "Stand back, or else I'll shoot!"

Heero and Duo obeyed, but did not lower their guns. 'Where the hell is Blaze??' Heero thought wildly. The two guards advanced on the two gundam pilots, and the scene was at a stand-off.

Heero paid no heed to the guards that were in his way. They were Duo's job. He kept his gun trained on the man's forehead, and knew Bannan couldn't do any harm if Heero pulled the trigger. He wouldn't have enough time to react. He wouldn't shoot Relena.

But there was a chance that the captain would pull the trigger before Heero did, and it was a chance that Heero and Duo couldn't take. 'Damn it!! Where is Blaze?!' Heero thought angrily. Once they got out of this, he was going to give her the lecture of her life!

Bannan dug the end of the barrel into Relena's temple and shouted, "Put your weapons down or this Pacifist bitch dies!!" Wow, did this guy have a temper…

Heero and Duo started to lower their guns, as the guards stepped forward to take them into custody.

Before Heero and Duo gave up their weapons, a grunt came from Bannan and he fell to the ground, letting go of the Vice Foreign Minister. His heavy gun landed on the marble-tiled floor, echoing loudly far into the high corners of the banquet hall. Silence fell like a blanket, as Blaze stood behind him, gun in hand. She had struck him clean across the crown, knocking the large leader into the world of the unconscious. She made eye contact with Heero, and beamed at her success.

Heero and Duo immediately brought their weapons up to the guards, and the two men immediately dropped their weapons, hands in the air in surrender. As the two young pilots kept their guns in the back of their enemies, one of them said, "You're not getting away with this!!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Duo replied, and he and Heero knocked out the two soldiers simultaneously.

The two young men turned around to face the hostages, and a few of them stepped back slightly. Relena did the opposite. She took a step forward, a warm smile on her face.

"Well, well," Duo commented. "Fancy meeting YOU here!"

"yes," Relena nodded. She looked at Heero. "It seems like we are back to old times."

Heero was quick and to the point. "Assuming that no one is hurt, we have to leave here, now."

As if on cue, Quatre and Trowa walked in. Trowa nodded his greetings, and Quatre warmly said hello to Relena, who returned the polite gesture.

"Sally is on her way with the transportation." Trowa informed.

"It'll be nice to see her again…" Quatre said.

Duo crossed his arms and smirked. "Wufei better get here, or else he'll miss his 'woman'." Blaze snickered at that.

"I heard that Maxwell!!" Wufei shouted as he stomped towards them from where the three had originally entered. He brandished his katana, typically, but Duo merely rolled his eyes at him.

"We need to leave now that we're all here." Heero ordered.

They organized the Pacifists, and left the building. Heero, Blaze, and Duo were in front, while the rest tailed the back, making sure everyone was together. Relena was also near the front group, glad to be with her friends again, and glad to be near Heero.

"How did I do?" Blaze asked Heero as they walked out.

"You helped us win. How do you think you did?" Heero replied stoically as he gave her a side-long glance.

Blaze smiled at him appreciatively.

Sally came around with a large military hauling truck, and gave a loud honk. She waved out of her window and shouted, "Hey, you guys!! Long time no see!!" She parked the vehicle. "Load up quickly. It won't take long for someone to come here after what Wufei did…"

"Hmph…" Wufei huffed as he walked by her.

Sally grinned. "Nice to see you too, Wufei!" She laughed to herself at the boy's stubborn antics.

Trowa and Duo helped people into the truck, while Blaze helped them get comfortable; Heero talked to Sally, as Quatre and Wufei sat in the widely spaced front seat.

"Yo, Peanut!" Duo called. "We're all ready back here, lets get movin'!"

Sally looked back at him, then at Heero with a raised eyebrow. 'Peanut??' she mouthed. Heero shrugged his indifference, and walked to the back where he hopped in.

Once he was seated and the vehicle started moving, bumping along the road, Relena scooted towards him, and sat next to him. "Hello, Heero."

"Hello." Heero replied as he looked out the back, watching the road disappear.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you." Relena smiled. "How have you been?"

"We're at war now. How do you think I've been?" Heero replied, looking at her.

Relena looked away. "That's not what I meant…"

"I've been fine." Heero replied, and fell so easily into his personal silence. Then Relena spoke up again.

"What's going to happen now?" Relena asked.

"We're going to send these people back to their families." Heero replied.

"What about me? I can't return to ESUN…" Relena frowned.

"We'll figure something out." Heero said.

Silence fell again for a few minutes, until Relena whispered. "I've missed you…"

Heero hid his surprise at her boldness, and merely looked at her, then back at the road and passing scenery. He glanced at Blaze who sat across from him, on the other side. She averted her eyes quickly to the fringed corner of the rusty blanket she was sitting on, fidgeting with it. He kept staring at her, and he finally got what he expected: she looked up at him, and they made eye contact. She looked away quickly then, and Heero returned his gaze back to the escaping landscape.

Over a course of two days, all of the Pacifists had been sent back home, except for Relena, who had no place to go as of yet. She still had yet to talk to Heero like she wanted, but she found that he was quite often with that girl named Blaze, the one who had saved her. She asked Quatre about it, and he explained to her that Heero was still training her to be a Gundam pilot. That was a relief to her.

Relena sat quietly drinking her tea that Quatre made for her, when Blaze came in to announce that she was going to go for a walk.

"Do any of you want to come with me?" she offered as she brushed her hair up into a ponytail. She looked at Relena, her eyes inviting her to come along.

Quatre shook his head. "I can't. I have some work to do… hacking more precisely…" The blonde Arabian rubbed at his temples with annoyance.

Relena shook her head. "No thank you. I'm quite comfortable where I am."

Blaze waved her hands at them dismissively. "Ah, you people!! Well I'll be back in a few then."

Once she left, an idea struck Relena. Since Blaze was leaving, that left Heero all alone. Just the opportunity that she needed! She stood up, careful not to seem so anxious. 

She was about to leave Quatre's presence, when he said, "'Quite comfortable' I believe were the terms you used… going somewhere?" Quatre grinned over his overly high-tech laptop (much better than Heero's **_*gasp*_**).

"Please excuse me, Quatre." Relena curtsied slightly. "I'll be back."

Heero was deeply submerged in his hacking, and growled in irritation when a timid knock came. Only one person knocked like that. He stood up, regretfully stopping his work, and answered the door. "Hello Relena."

"Hello Heero…" Relena smiled, though she looked at her feet. "May I come in?"

"What do you want?" Heero asked.

"To talk. Please?" Relena looked up at him. Heero looked at her doubtfully. He had the urge to tell her to buzz off so he could finish his work, but whatever it was looked serious enough to take 5 minutes of his time. But only 5 minutes. He stepped aside and let her enter into his and Blaze's room. She nodded her appreciation.

"What do you have to tell me?" Heero asked impatiently, as Relena walked to the open window that looked out on the street.

Relena took a couple of breaths to calm her racing heart. It worked to no avail. She gulped down her fear. How was she going to tell him? Suddenly the thousand dollar question came to mind. "Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked him.

Heero raised an eyebrow. This again?? How long ago was that?? "Because…" was his lame answer. "Things change, missions change." Heero finished.

She turned and looked at him, her blue eyes pleading with his. They were nice, but they weren't the same blue as Blaze's, Heero realized that. "Do you care about me?" she blurted out quickly.

Heero looked down at her, puzzled. Did he? He must have, because he didn't kill her. Just like he hadn't killed any of his other friends like he thought he was going to. "Yes…" he said, unsure of his answer.

Relena's face lit up, and her eyes sparkled. She took a step towards him. "Heero, I've been wanting to tell you…."

Heero, who was not very good at emotional perception in others (let alone himself), was finally starting to realize what she had meant by her question. Once that magical click of insight hit him, and he realized that he had made a big mistake, she finished her sentence.

"…I love you…" She was close to him now! So close… was she going to…?

Heero's mind went about from thought to thought erratically. He could smell Relena's perfume. It was different from Blaze's usual scent, and it was foreign to him. 'Blaze! Oh shit. Oh no. Big mistake, Yuy. Note to self: Girl says "care" and they mean "like".' Heero berated himself on the inside, while on the outside he merely stared at her with lively eyes, lit by the confusion and panic inside him.

Then Relena threw her arms around him and kissed him. Heero was shocked. Speechless (also because Relena was currently stealing his mouth), and appalled by what just happened. This… this wasn't right! She wasn't suppose to do THIS…she was Relena!! The piece did not fit the puzzle in Heero's brain.

Then the door opened…

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Heero's Girl: Oh my!! Why, what's THIS doing here??? Could it be…. A CLIFFHANGER??? DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN……….!!!!!

Duo: What?! What kind of an ending is that?!?!

Wufei: She just said it was a cliffhanger you idiot!!

Duo: Oh go piss up a tree, Wu-FFIIEE

Wufei: .!!!!!!!!

Heero's Girl: Yeah, whatever…. -_-;; What will happen?

Duo: Well you see, there's going to be- *whack*

Heero's Girl: *clutching whacking stick* SHUT. UP!!! I AM BUILDING SUSPENSE!!! STOP FOILING EVERYTHING!!!!

Duo: Eep…

Heero's Girl: *ahem* as I was saying: What will happen? Who is going to come through the door?? Will this all determine the fate of my authoress career?? Of course it will!!!! So REVIEW if you want the next chapter!!!! SAME BAT TIME, SAME BAT WEBSITE!!!!

G-boyz: O.o??

Heero: Batman has nothing to do with this!!

Heero's Girl: Silence Stoic Sex God!!!

Heero: *blush*

Heero's Girl: There shall always be space for the totally awesome tights-wearing Creature of the Night!!! Or a.k.a. the Superhero Formerly Known As Batman, or now as the Bat that goes by the current Symbol (which can be found in the cloudy night sky of your local Gotham!!)

Heero: She's insane.

Heero's Girl: Oh, go milk a cow Mighty Spandex!!

Heero: O.o??

Heero's Girl: REVIEW!!!!!!!

Heero: Quickly!!! I'M STUCK KISSING RELENA!!! THE SOONER THE BETTER, PEOPLE!!!!!

Quatre: Apparently even 'heroes' need to be saved! *laughs at his own joke*

Everyone else: X.X

Trowa: Now would be a good time to end this stupid thing…

Heero's Girl: Way ahead of you… *snap*

FIN (for now) *setting goes black*

Heero's Girl: *tip toes out into the darkness* *looks at you* *whispers* hey! You!! What're you doing here?? Hurry up and go review!!! This thing is done! See?? *points to the FIN* Go! The future is in YOUR hands!!! *runs away with her arms up in the air, making a buzzing sound* (all who know Freakazoid should recognize this… hehe)


	13. “Heero, leave me alone! I don’t want to...

Heero's Girl: OH MY GOD!!!!! I'VE JUST FINISHED MY ENGLISH AP FINAL!!!! YYYYYAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE A SUDDEN URGE TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE THAT I WANT TO DO!!!!!

Duo: Don't hold back, tell us how you **_really_** feel!!

Heero's Girl: Silence Braided Paradox! You shall not spoil my good mood with your wise-cracks!! *cracks knuckles* I have work to do!!!!

Heero: yeah! Don't bother her so that she can quickly fix the dilemma that she put me in!!

Wufei: Now I have the urge to piss off the author so Heero will suffer.

Heero: *death glare* OMAE O KOROSU!!

Wufei: *rolls his eyes* come of it Yuy!! That catch phrase is dead for the next 5 lives!!

Heero: *narrows his eyes and fingers his gun*

Heero's Girl: *takes magical authoress staff from hammerspace and points it up to the sky* Onward!!!! To chapter 13!!!

Quatre: Chapter 13?! That's not good!!! 13 is an unlucky number!!!

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Chapter 13:

"I forgot my coat…" Blaze said as she entered. She looked up from the floor, and stopped in her tracks. Heero and Relena pulled away quickly, but it was too late. The damage was already done.

Heero stared at Blaze with wide eyes, but she averted her eyes away from him, and back to the floor. She turned on her heel and fled, coat forgotten, and the door wide open.

Heero was speechless, but his first instinct was to chase her down, to explain things. He turned to follow, but Relena's arm interlinked with his, staying his escape. "Heero!" Relena shouted, demanding an answer. This wasn't what she expected!

Heero turned to her and shook his arm free. "Don't, Relena! Don't touch me!!"

Tears started to fill her eyes. "Bu… wha…? But you said-"

"I misunderstood your meaning, and you misunderstood mine!" Heero said to her harshly. He turned his back on her to leave. Relena placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Heero…" Relena held back her tears.

Heero pulled his shoulder away. "Relena, I said don't touch me."

The small blonde coiled her hand away, and looked at the floor. "I… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I never meant to cause this type of trouble. I honestly thought something was there, but it's not… and there's… nothing I can do about it…."

Relena ran past him, her hands covering her face. Heero had never seen her cry, and he felt a stab of pain in his gut. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he couldn't give here everything she wanted. This was something he couldn't help her on. Heero rubbed his face with his hands. How could it be that everything could get so screwed up in a matter of seconds?

Blaze ran quickly down the hall and out of the building, not caring about the people that looked at her with puzzled eyes. It didn't matter who saw her, just so long as it wasn't Heero. A sickness overcame her stomach, but she kept it down, pushing it away. Still, it came back up each time the picture of Relena and Heero kissing entered her mind. It seemed to be burned into her skull and she couldn't get it out.

She increased her speed, and ran blindly down the street, all of the anger, frustration, and sadness fueling her motive to… to what?? Where the hell was she going to go?? It didn't matter right now. She just needed to get away.

Then she crashed into someone tall, and a familiar hand steadied her by her shoulder. Blaze stared at Trowa's shirt, and didn't look up. Tears streaked her cheeks, and she didn't want him to see.

"Blaze??" Trowa asked in shock. He saw them anyway, and he was appalled. "Blaze, what's wrong? What happened??"

Blaze sniffed and then replied, "Nothing! Nothing, I don't want to talk about it. I need to go… away somewhere." She pushed away from him, and was about to keep running when she looked up at him.

She'd never seen Trowa look at her like that with so much concern, so much emotion. What did he think of her now that she was broken down? She didn't want to focus on it. She pried her eyes away from him, and left Trowa to stand there in a complete fog of confusion. Trowa furrowed his eyebrows, and then turned away to walk back to where they were staying. He had to talk to Yuy, see if he knew what was wrong.

Then at that moment, right when Trowa was starting to organize his thoughts into some ideas of Blaze's outburst, Relena ran by him in a state of tears. This left poor Trowa scatterbrained, causing all of his theories to be violently tossed out the window. Trowa now had a new idea to approach Heero with a new question: What the hell was going on??

Then, Trowa being the intelligent person that he is, made a note that Relena ran by crying, after seeing Blaze do the same just moments before. Well, if Trowa knew anything, he definitely knew that Relena was in love with Heero. So she was most likely crying over him, and it must have something to do with Blaze, since that would be too coincidental for their reasons to be separate. But why was Blaze crying?? If it had to do with Relena and Heero, then that means that Heero must have done something to hurt BOTH of them. What the hell did he do??

As if in automatic confirmation, Heero passed him. Then the usually not-so-lively pilot spun around and grabbed Trowa by his shoulders. "Trowa!! Have you seen Blaze?? Do you know where she went??"

Trowa demanded a question of his own before he let Heero have his answer. "What happened?"

Heero paused, unwilling to tell the incident. "There were some… misunderstandings. Now tell me where Blaze is!"

Trowa narrowed his eyes. This obviously made it clear that Heero did hurt Blaze, and Trowa had the innate urge to express **_his_** feelings towards that. But instead, being the reserved person that he was, he simply said, "She ran that way. I think she may be heading towards where you can go up and out onto the desert."

That was all the incentive that Heero needed. He ran off in Blaze's direction, yellow sneakers pounding the cobblestone street. He didn't bother to thank Trowa, he was in too much of a hurry. Still, Heero made a special mental note to express his gratitude later to the uni-banged pilot. As Heero ran, a sudden thought entered his head. Why was he in such a hurry? He could simply wait to see Blaze later, and explain it then. She would have to come back eventually, and it would be best to wait for her to cool off. But this time, Heero couldn't wait. Blaze's extreme reaction startled him, and though he hadn't quite thought through everything yet, he did know that he had to find her.

Blaze stumbled out of the underground trap door of the underground city. She ran a few paces forward, and then fell to her knees, her energy finally completely spent. A night breeze blew the sand past her, powdering her hair. The moon was out tonight, full and beautiful and still so lonely. The starlight hit the sand in her hair and on her skin, causing it to sparkle with a periwinkle color. If things did not fall apart, then it would have been a very enjoyable evening, with the desert night, and the sand still warm from the day's accumulated heat.

Blaze drew her knees to her chest, and placed her head in her arms, sitting next to the door that she had come out of. The sand covered it due to the winds, and it was hard for her to push it open to get out. If she strayed, then she wouldn't be able to find it again, and would have to go back in through the city nearby.

Blaze tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it didn't do any good. Her tears still fell, hot on her skin and salty to her lips. She pounded the ground with her fists. "This is so **_STUPID!!!!_**" she shouted. "Why the hell am I crying over him?? He's nothing but a pain in the ass anyway!!! If he wants to be with her, then fine! There's nothing I can do about it!!" Her body shook as a breeze passed, but it wasn't from the cold. Another sob was going to rack her body, and she tried to suppress it. Finally, she whispered to herself, "I can't make him care about me… I can't make his choices for him."

The truth was painful, and stabbed at her mercilessly.

She heard the creaking of rusty hinges and the movement of sand, and upon looking to her right, noticed that the trap door was opening. 'Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit!!!!" Blaze thought. She got up and ran over the small sand dune and skidded on the other side, sliding to a stop where she lay down quietly. She hoped it wasn't who her mind was relentlessly telling her it was. It couldn't be him. It wouldn't be him! Why the hell would he care??

Blaze stared up at the sparkling heavens, but listening intently for who it was. Her body was tense and sore, but she was on an automatic defense.

'It wouldn't be him. It wouldn't be him. It's probably Trowa!! Yeah, that's it!' Blaze thought to herself.

Then the object of affection himself appeared within her peripheral vision, and Blaze cursed outwardly. Heero stared her in the eyes, and then looked away in what Blaze couldn't help but label as a shameful manner. He shoved his hands in his jean pockets, and simply stood there, not saying anything. Exasperated, Blaze got up and walked away from him, unable to remain in his presence with memories and feelings so fresh and unhealed, like a fresh new cut on soft skin.

"Blaze!" Heero called out. She ignored him and kept walking, enlarging the gap between them. But he ran up to her, and grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him.

"Heero, leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you." Blaze yelled at him.

"Fine." Heero replied. "If you don't want to talk, then you don't have to. But I'm going to talk, and I want you to listen."

"What for??" Blaze shot at him. "What, are you going to say you're sorry? Don't be sorry! You're with Relena! Why the heck should I care?? I can't control who you care about, and if it's not me, then that's tough luck for me, now isn't it?"

Heero gaped at this. She really thought that? He stared at her, as he watched her usually lively pretty face fall with disappointment. She didn't hide her pain from him, and he wanted to hold her and make it all go away, to take it all into himself so she wouldn't have to hurt. Just as he was about to actually will himself to do this wishful action, Blaze turned her back on him and crossed her arms, looking down the way where the sand dune curved flat. Her light brown hair tossed in the breeze, still glittering from the grains of sand in it. The moonlight seemed to give her an aura all her own, and Heero gazed at her, feeling his own loneliness within him, something he had suppressed for a long time.

He heard Blaze let out a shaky breath, and then she whispered, "I'm not going to fight over you with her like you're some sort of material thing. If you're happy with her, then I'm not going to disrupt that." All she wanted was for him to be happy.

Heero balked at this. He stepped forward, coming up next to her on her right. "Is that what you think?" he demanded. How could she think that? Why the heck did she think he was out here with her?

Blaze glanced in his direction, but did not make eye contact with him. Still, even though she didn't look at him directly, he could see how hurt she really was. She turned her head away from him, and looked up at the stars.

Heero stepped in front of her then, and put his hands on her shoulders. She didn't look at him, but she could see him peering at her out of the corner of her eye, and it made her uncomfortable. She shifted under his touch, and crossed her arms.

Heero took a breath, and then said, "Nothing happened."

Blaze narrowed her eyes angrily. "What do you mean nothing happened? I saw you two kissing. I'd hardly call that nothing!!" She batted his hands away, but he grasped her shoulders again.

"No, Blaze. She kissed me, and I wasn't expecting it." Heero explained, his voice calm, willing her to understand. Inside he was worried. This was their only chance to mend things, and he wasn't very good with this type of confrontation. Blaze looked at her feet, and dug her toe into the sand. "I'm not with Relena. I don't care for her like that."

She looked up into his eyes then, and though they still glared at her like they always seemed to do, it wasn't as cold as before. 'So that was it…' Blaze thought. 'I end up spilling everything in front of him to see, and then it turns out that it wasn't even what I thought. He only came up here to tell me that I misunderstood. That's it.' Embarrassed, she looked away.

Then Heero took his hand and tilted her face to look at him. And for a moment, in the middle of the night under that desert sky, he admired her beauty: the glow of her skin in the moonlight, the sharp azure blue of her eyes. And he admired how much she had really grown since the first day, and how strong she was. Though Heero's feelings were still in a twist, he knew what he wanted, and he knew what she wanted. He could see it in her eyes. 

Blaze was frozen in her stance, Heero's eyes keeping her still. The feel of his hand on her cheek filled her with warmth, but it still made her shiver. Then his hand moved down to her back, and his other arm wrapped around her. She felt herself being pulled close to him, and her breath caught in her throat. He brushed away a strand of hair that blew in her face, and his fingers paused on her lips, tracing them lightly. Then, ever so slightly, Heero brushed his lips against hers. The action was timid and yet bold for the usually stoic pilot. He'd never before encountered such powerful emotions, and gave into them with ease. It was as simple as settling into a comfortable bed. Blaze was frozen by shock, and yet had no urge to pull away and demand an explanation. The action was somewhat quick, and Heero pulled away a little.

They both stared into each other's eyes. Whatever needed to be said was shown. Heero blinked, as his feelings made a fool of him and Blaze's expression kept his eyes trained on her. Then, again with more resolve, he kissed her. This time she responded, and wrapped her arms around his neck, forever keeping in memory the feel of his lips on hers. His hands roamed her back and kept her pressed against him, as another desert breeze tossed sparkling sand around them. 

Their lips parted finally, and Blaze smiled at him. It wasn't her usual mocking grin that she usually taunted him with. She'd never smiled at him like that before… and he liked it.

Finally after a moment of silence, Blaze asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't you tell **_me_**?" Heero repeated back at her.

"Why should I when I had no notion that you felt the same?" she replied with a shrug. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm not use to dealing with such situations." Heero replied quietly.

Blaze gave him that smile again. Then she touched his cheek and kissed him again, and pulled away. "Do you think we should go back now?"

Heero took her hand and looked at their surroundings, and then looked up at the moon behind him. He wrapped his arms around her. "Lets not."

They sat down on the sand dune then, Blaze leaning back into Heero as she interlocked her fingers with his. Finally, Blaze truly had a reason to fight; an incentive. So did Heero.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Heero's Girl: YAY!!!! FINALLY!!!!! THE MUSH!!!!!!

*G-boyz are knee deep in MUSH*

Duo: eeeewwwwww…………..

Heero: This fanfic is becoming embarrassing for me…

Heero's Girl: mwahahahaha…….. *drums fingers together deviously*

Wufei: It took you forever to finish this!!! Whatever happened to that 'doing something productive'?

*WHACK*

Wufei: @_@

Heero's Girl: Silence village idiot!!! You're not suppose to follow on what I say!!!!

Quatre: I have sympathy for him. I really do.

Trowa: Yes… he does seem to get the least amount of respect around here…

Heero's Girl: ^________^ He knows I love him…

Heero: _


	14. “I think something terrible happened to ...

Heero's Girl: Alright… now that I've fixed all of the chapters, graduated high school, and enrolled in a college-

Wufei: Finally, she's doing something with her life!!!

*WHACK*

Heero's Girl: SHUT UP!!!! -_-;; yeah… as I was saying… I can now continue to work on this fanfic!! ^___^ Now keep in mind that I'm going through writer's block right now, so from this point on I'm struggling to get this out, k? But I know it's been a while, and I'm sure you people don't want to wait anymore… ~.~;;

****

Chapter 14: "I think something terrible happened to me before to get me like this."

While Heero and Blaze seemed to be kissing and making up, in the literal sense, Trowa went to find Relena. Hopefully she would be able to give him some answers…

It didn't take long. Trowa walked down the dirt paved street, looking in the windows of small shops. A couple of Arabic people waved at him, knowing him as Master Quatre's friend. He waved back briefly, and continued walking. Finally he stopped outside a diner, and peered into the window, noticing a very familiar looking blonde. He quietly walked inside and sat down at the small table, and gazed at Relena from across the table.

Relena glanced up slightly, then quickly lowered her head and dabbed her eyes with the napkin.

"Are you alright?" Trowa asked her.

Relena gave a small laugh. "Compared to what? No I'm not alright… I knew I never should have brought it up… I'm so stupid!!" she scolded herself.

"You're not stupid." Trowa reassured her.

Relena gave another laugh, and shook her head. "Yes I am. I shouldn't have pursued him as long as I have… I've just been a little girl chasing a dream…"

Trowa sighed quietly, then asked, "what happened?"

Relena was quiet for a minute, then took a shaky tear-filled breath. "I… talked to Heero… and I wanted to know how he felt… and I asked him if he cared, and he said he did…"

"But he misunderstood what you meant, didn't he?" Trowa replied. "Heero never really was good at subtle hints, especially not with emotions…"

Relena shook her head. "I should have realized it… that he didn't know what I meant… he seemed to think about it at first, and I wasn't sure if he was confused or not… but I thought he understood."

"So you told him, didn't you?" Trowa said, helping her tell her own story.

Relena nodded and sniffed. "More like showed him…" She sighed heavily.

Trowa raised his eyebrows at this. "That was bold of you… I never thought you were the type to go all out…"

"Neither did I… but after keeping it bottled up for nearly three years, it does tend to get a little tense…" Relena explained.

"Did he respond?" Trowa asked finally after another moment of silence. Relena shook her head.

"I think I surprised him…" She gulped back tears as she attempted to finish the story. "T-then…she walked in… that girl…"

"Blaze??" Trowa inquired. Relena nodded. "So that explains it… I figured it would be something like that…"

"She ran out, and Heero went to go after her, and I realized that there was a big mistake. I tried to ask him, but he got angry at me… he said that our meanings got mixed up." Relena whispered. She looked up at Trowa then, her eyes threatening to spill over. "He was so angry at me! I didn't mean to ruin anything. If I knew that they were…. You know… then I never would have stayed here."

Trowa looked at her in silence for a moment. Finally he said, "They… weren't really together… They share a room and Heero trains her… and they were… well, friends I guess you could say. It's just that you know Heero. He's not well on human emotion, and Blaze is just stubborn. They didn't admit it to each other…"

Relena sat in silence for a while. Finally, she took a steady breath and held her head up. "I can't face him now. I won't be able to look at him."

"He wasn't angry at you. He was mad at the situation. If anything, I'm sure he's scolding himself instead…"

Relena shook her head. "You didn't see the look that he gave me…" she swallowed the lump in her throat. "That probably hurt more than the misunderstanding…"

Trowa took Relena's hand in his, and tilted her face to look at him. "He's not mad at you. I know Heero. He didn't want to hurt either you, or Blaze."

Relena looked into his face for reassurance, and surprisingly found it there. She looked at the glass of water in front of her. "I can't stay here. Even aside from what's happened. I have a position to keep, Trowa. I guess this just gives me an extra push out the door."

"Where will you go?" Trowa asked. "What about your brother?"

"Milliardo??" Relena said.

"No, you're other brother. Of course Milliardo. Or Zechs, whichever he prefers…" Trowa replied. "You know he'll protect you…"

"Yes, I know…" Relena replied. "But I haven't been able to contact him…"

"Contact who?" said a familiar voice next to them. Relena and Trowa looked up to see Noin standing there. She grinned. "You're talking about Zechs, aren't you??"

Relena nodded. "Do you know where he is?"

"Me?? Actually he just contacted me asking where you were." Noin explained. "I came looking for you to tell you…" Noin then noticed Relena's tear stained cheeks and red eyes. "Hey… are you okay?? What happened??"

"Don't worry about it, I'm fine." Relena said, quickly brushing her off. She didn't want to explain the entire ordeal again… "So what about Zechs?"

"Conveniently enough, he's going to come here to get you. He's leaving tonight, and he'll come in tomorrow. I already informed Quatre so that he can be let in." Noin smiled. "He's really worried about his little sister…"

Relena blushed at this. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be putting me through twenty questions to make sure I'm alright and everything…" the blonde sighed. "I'm sure he and Pagan can work something out to keep me safe. How will I be able to reach the public without attempted assassinations??"

"Don't worry about that right now, Relena…" Noin said. "Lets just take this one step at a time, alright?"

Relena nodded.

The next day Relena was greeted by her brother. Zechs stepped off of the white jet and immediately embraced his little sister. "How is everything?" Zechs asked her. Relena smiled at him in response, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"We'll talk when we leave…" Relena said quietly so only her brother could hear. Zechs looked at her, completely puzzled. He scanned the faces for some sort of clue, his eyes falling on Heero and the girl he stood with. He narrowed his eyes.

"Yes…yes we will." Zechs replied. Then he noticed Noin standing nearby. "Noin…" he said, leaving his sentence unfinished, which was not uncommon when it concerned his long time friend.

"Hello Zechs…" Noin said, the look that she always gave him still bright in her eyes. Duo and Wufei both rolled their eyes.

A moment passed as the two stared at each other. Finally Quatre clapped his hands to move on. "So… Zechs, are you leaving right away?"

"I could stay for a few minutes…" Zechs responded. He once again looked at the girl that stood precariously close to Heero. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

"That's because we haven't." she replied. "I'm Blaze, pilot 06 in training." She shook his hand, and Zechs eyed her, but said no more. He raised an eyebrow at Heero, but Heero gave no response to his silent inquiry, and kept his face as stoic as always.

Minutes later, the entire group sat around a collection of tables that had been pushed together. Zechs interlocked his fingers and rested his face against them as he thought. The others were silent as well, except from occasional coughs from Duo, who was never able to really handle silence.

The air was entirely made of tension. There was tension of the war, tension concerning the earlier incident between Heero, Blaze and Relena; tension between Noin and Zechs that was always there when they finally saw each other after a while… the entire thing was suffocating.

"So lets review… Hampshire has opened up five factories for mobile suit productions, and is now changing Preventers bases on colonies into his own fighting force." Duo finally said, unable to sit still any longer.

Zechs nodded. "That's right. I've gotten word that there's a new mobile suit being created. I've tried to send men in to get more information, be a part of their productions, see how things work, their schedules…but their security is tight. A number of them haven't come back."

"Looks like you need a professional to go in there. Not just men that have been trained as Preventers, who have never really had to deal with tactics of actual war." Trowa said.

"Are you offering to go in?" Zechs said, looking at him, putting his hands down.

"I don't see why not…" Trowa replied. "We need to know what we can, as soon as we can."

"A big concern right now are the Preventers bases on the colonies." Heero said.

"Yeah…" Duo agreed. "How are the colonies suppose to defend themselves?? They're already infiltrated!"

"We're not going to have to destroy them, are we??" Blaze asked with worry. "Aren't most of these Preventers being forced into this??"

"If they fight us, or if they threaten the colonies, then we have to destroy them." Wufei said harshly. "There's no room for kindness. If they pose a threat, then they will be removed."

"Well if they're to be removed, then it'd better be soon before they do some serious damage to the colonies…" Duo said darkly.

"Still, it would be a good idea to keep casualties to a minimum…" Quatre said.

Relena left with Zechs soon after that. Heero and Noin continued to train Blaze in the simulator, and this was the time when Noin decided to mention a couple of things.

"So… Heero…" Noin started. Heero turned his cold glare on her, and a small smirk played at her lips. "I've heard that you've softened up…"

"What?" Heero replied.

"I see how you act around her…" Noin pointed out. "You and Blaze seem much closer now. That's a shame for Relena."

Heero clenched his jaw, and continued to watch the radar and a few vid screens.

Noin sighed, and turned to face Heero completely. "Come on, Heero. You can't keep it hidden forever. Everyone knows that you two care for each other."

Heero shot her an icy glare. "What are you getting at, Noin?"

Noin shook her head at the ceiling. "why do I even bother? Okay, okay… the truth is, Relena talked to Zechs, and Zechs talked to me."

Heero remained silent for a moment, then said, "So you know what happened then…" The ice in his eyes melted a little bit.

"Yeah, I do." Noin replied. "And aside from Relena, I'm glad that you're opening up. You should be happy, Heero. Lord knows you deserve it."

Heero wanted to say more, but he held back. Instead, he went to another topic. "I didn't mean to hurt Relena." he said quietly.

Noin brightened at this. "It's okay, she understands. Just… don't try to bring it up with her, she's still pretty sore from it. She's a big girl, though. She can handle herself."

"Hn…" Heero replied, and that was the only answer he gave. The conversation was dropped when Blaze stepped out of the simulator, jumping up and down at her happiness of beating it. A ghost of a smile tugged at Heero's lips.

Heero sat down at a table, and stared blankly at the food on his plate, for he wasn't feeling very hungry at the moment. Thoughts kept confusing him, and he didn't know what to do. Duo chose this moment as an opportune time to sit down with the chair backwards.

"So, Heero ol' buddy…" Duo said with a grin. "I've heard from an unnamed source that you and Blaze have finally hooked up!"

Heero choked on his first bite of food, and glared icily at him.

"Ha! So it's true!!" Duo said, his voice ringing victory. Then he started chanting, "Heero's gotta girlfriend, Heero's gotta girlfriend…"

Heero pulled out his gun and pointed it at Duo from under the table. "Shut up, already." Heero demanded. Duo looked at Heero's gun as if it was nothing more than a napkin- completely and utterly harmless. Duo merely sat there with that grin of his, and stared at Heero with his jovial violet eyes. Finally, Heero said, much quieter this time, "Don't tell anyone, or I'll kill you then bring you back to life just for the sole purpose of killing you again."

"Don't worry, man… my lips are sealed." Duo said, patting Heero on the shoulder.

"I wonder if that's even possible." Heero replied.

"Hey!!" Duo protested.

It wasn't two hours later that Wufei crossed Heero's path, then stopped to add his two cents.

"You're with Blaze?" Wufei stated more than asked.

"News gets around fast, doesn't it?" Heero said icily.

"What are you doing, Yuy?" Wufei said quietly, the darkness in his voice. "You know this isn't the time to become attached to someone." Heero merely glared at him from under his bangs, and Wufei muttered to himself in Chinese before continuing what he was going to say. "Something may happen, Yuy. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it but no one is saying it." There was a slight pause before Wufei said, much quieter, "I respect you. I don't want to see you weakened."

With that Wufei walked away. Heero cursed to himself in Japanese, and went back into his room, where no one else could give their own personal commentary to his personal life. Especially the type of commentary that voiced Heero's fears.

Blaze was in their room, studying the blue prints of mobile suits. There was also a notepad resting on her lap, as she sat Indian style on her bed.

"How is it that everyone can know about you and me??" Heero demanded as he stomped into the room.

Without looking up, Blaze replied, "It's a secret, so naturally everybody knows about it."

"Hn…" Heero replied, and crossed his arms. "Still, it's only been two days…"

Blaze laughed. "I'm amazed it's lasted _this_ long…"

"What are you doing?" asked Heero, who was in desperate need for a change of subject.

I'm studying the build of mobile suits so that I can know their weak points when I fight them in the sim." she replied.

"How're you doing?" Heero asked, as he sat on her bed with her, and looked at a couple of the layouts that she had.

"I don't know…" she replied with a shrug. "I've got Leos, Aries, and Taurus's memorized, and right now I'm working on Tragos."

"How long have been studying these?" Heero asked curiously.

"Twenty minutes…" she said, sounding almost puzzled. "and I already know their strengths and weaknesses, where to hit and where not to hit. I'm sure that with a little bit of practice, I could even pilot them."

Heero was shocked by this. Twenty minutes and she already knew all of the technicalities of three major mobile suits?

Blaze continued talking. "It's like I've already got the information in here." she tapped her temple. "It's just coming back up after being buried for so long." Her posture was stiff and hunched as she said this, and Heero took her hand.

"It scares you. Why?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she whispered. "I think something terrible happened to me before to get me like this."

Heero watched her as she looked at her hands, and Wufei's words echoed in his mind. 'Something may happen, Yuy. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it but no one is saying it.'

"Whatever it was," Heero said. "Won't happen again." Blaze looked up at him and gave a sad smile. She hugged him then, and he whispered in her ear, "I promise."

_________________________

Heero's Girl: yeah, that looks like a pretty good ending…

Heero: It's short than usual, yet it took you forever. Your readers are going to kill you.

Heero's Girl: Not yet! They still have to wait for me to finish this!!

Heero: Ok, they'll kill you afterward, then…

Heero's Girl: *muttering* lets make this as long as possible…

Heero: -_-;;


	15. “They’re going to get us and the colonie...

Duo: Good thing your readers aren't personal pets!!! Otherwise they'd die of neglect!!!

Heero's Girl: Grrr…. Well I'm sure our dear readers don't like to be referred to as pets!!!

Duo: Just making a point….

Heero's Girl: *sharpening a knife* yeah, me too….

Duo: Eep… I'll shut up now. Quick! Post the chapter before you skewer me!!! ;_;

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

****

Chapter 15: "They're going to get us and the colonies in trouble."

"I was able to hack into Hampshire's computer system and get info on their new mobile suits…" Quatre explained, as he sat down at the table. Six pairs of eyes looked back at him.

"So how bad is it?" Noin asked.

"Well, they're not invincible…" Quatre said carefully.

Wufei took the paper that rested in front of Quatre and looked it over. "What's this new metal they're using??" Wufei questioned, pointing to a point on the paper.

"That's the problem. It's a mix between Gundanium alloy and some earthly metals." Quatre explained. "That makes it exceptionally strong."

"But not as strong as gundanium though, right?" Blaze replied.

"That's true…" Quatre said. "But the pro's and con's is that pure gundanium is heavier than this new metal that Hampshire has been able to create. It makes our enemies much faster."

"That depends on the pilot." Trowa said.

"It does," Quatre agreed. "But this new mobile suit definitely makes high speed fights much easier to handle. You don't need as much expertise as you did for previous mobile suits, which means more people can pilot them." He pointed to the mobile suit blue prints on a larger paper that he unfolded. "Also, it's not nearly as bulky as most mobile suits. It's much more aerodynamic."

"There's more to a mobile suit than speed." Heero said stoically. "We'll still defeat them."

"Of course we will. But it will take up more power and effort, and it may not be as quickly taken care of as say an Aries or a Leo." Noin said, starting to include herself in the discussion.

"Exactly." Quatre agreed. "Also, the entire Hampshire team has given themselves a name now."

"Are you serious? What is it?" Duo asked.

"Blue Angels. BA for short." Quatre said with a shake of his head.

Blaze rolled her eyes. "Geez, how tacky! What a freaking sell-out!"

"So… what about productions?" Duo asked. "We have to do _something_…"

"And we will." Heero said finally. "I'll be sure to convince Dr. J. and the others to let us take action before it's too late."

"I'm done with having _permission_." Wufei hissed. "I'm not going to sit here and let the colonies be overrun or destroyed."

"Don't be reckless, Wufei…" Noin said, brushing off his comment. Wufei huffed at this, but let it slide.

"This is all interesting and all," Blaze finally said. "But I'm with Duo on this one. Let's get to the point. What about productions??"

"Actually," Quatre said. "There's a very large shipment of gundanium coming in sometime soon for the factories."

"But gundanium is extremely expensive!" Noin exclaimed. "How is it that they can afford that??"

"First off, they're ESUN." Trowa said finally. "The entire ESUN organization has money, not to mention they have funding. Second off, Hampshire probably paid for all of this in advance, and very much in secret."

"That's right…" Duo pondered. "After the wars, the need for gundanium and metals for mobile suits made the prices drop to extreme lows. And Hampshire _must_ have done it in secret, because he didn't have permission from ESUN beforehand."

"It would have looked suspicious." Blaze said. "It would have been obvious what he was preparing for, and ESUN and the colonies both agreed to bring an end to mecha productions. My friends, I do believe there's some illegal activities going on here…"

"That's no surprise…" Wufei snorted.

Duo floated silently in space, his gundam undetectable on his enemy's radar. He watched the large cargo shuttle with a grin that only Duo could wear. "Time to slow down productions!!" he announced. "It's about time I get to do something with ya Deathscythe!!"

He rocketed forward then, scythe at the ready.

Suddenly the shuttle exploded into a combustion of rocket fuels and smoke, which quickly dissipated in the large vacuum of space. Debris flew in all directions, many of the pieces falling towards earth. They would disintegrate before they hit the ground.

Duo's violet eyes were wide with shock, and then flared with anger. "GODDAMN IT!!!! WHO THE HELL TOOK AWAY ALL OF MY FUN?!?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED???"

"This is unbelievable!!!" Duo raged, as he stomped out of his gundam and walked away from the hangar.

"Duo!!" Noin exclaimed. "What happened???"

"The damn thing exploded before I could do my job!!" Duo yelled, motioning widely with his arms. "Someone else got rid of it!!!"

"Are you sure?? What if it was a technical error??"

"Trust me, Noin, as a man who loves explosives, I know very well that it wasn't a technical error. Someone planned for that to happen." Duo grumpily crossed his arms.

"But…. How is that possible? Who could have done it??" Noin asked, completely surprised. She followed Duo as he walked out of the hangar, and into the locker rooms where he could get out of his space suit.

"I don't know, that's exactly what's pissing me off!!" Duo replied. He punched his locker, and the door swung open. He grabbed the towel and pulled out his clothes. He paused for a moment, Noin waiting for him to say anything else about the matter. "Noin…"

"What?" Noin asked.

"You're in the guy's locker room and I have to change…" Duo said, his mischievous grin playing on his lips. "unless you have something _else_ in mind…"

Noin rolled her eyes. "Not on your life, Duo! You're a bit young for my taste…"

Duo laughed as Noin walked away and yelled after her, "Lemme know if you ever change your mind!" Noin shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Trowa slung his coat over his shoulder and turned to face his comrades. "I'll keep in touch. Let me know what's going on."

"We plan to." Heero replied.

"Good. I'll be at the Blue Angels base in Los Angeles." Trowa said. He turned and walked away towards the plane that would take him to his destination.

"Be careful…" Quatre and Blaze called in unison.

"Yeah!!" Duo added. "We can't afford to limit our numbers!!"

"Thanks." Trowa called back.

Duo chuckled. "Just wanted to make you feel loved, man!"

Wufei rolled his eyes at Shinigami. They all watched as Trowa's aircraft left, dimming to a small dark point on the bright blue sky of the desert daytime. Heat shimmers eventually caused it to disappear, swallowed up by the distance.

Blaze sighed. "Alright… now what?"

"We take action." Wufei replied, starting to walk back inside. The others followed him.

"With what?" Blaze asked testily.

"Our gundams, of course… among other things we'll be using to equip ourselves…" Wufei answered.

"You mean _your_ gundams." Blaze corrected. "I don't have one."

"You will…" Heero said.

Blaze stopped and looked at him. "What haven't you told me yet?"

"That we're going to get your gundam in two days." Heero replied. Blaze stared at him completely shocked. She was going to get her own gundam!

Duo laughed and winked at her. "You better start packing!" Blaze was completely delighted.

The next night Blaze stood behind Heero, massaging his shoulders while he worked on his laptop, finding whatever information he could concerning the Pacifist's positions, the colonies positions, and Hampshire's positions.

"So…" Blaze started. "When were you going to tell me about this little trip we're taking tomorrow, huh?"

"Yesterday when we got back in here, but you brought it up early so I told you then. Surprise." Heero replied calmly, and he continued to type and scan what was on his screen. Pages continuously popped up quickly, and Blaze had trouble keeping up with what he was looking at. She sighed loudly. This was really boring.

Blaze moved her hands from Heero's shoulders and down to his chest, hugging him. "Heero…" she whined, and nibbled on his ear playfully. All of Heero's actions ceased. "Stop working for once. Take a break."

Heero couldn't concentrate enough to form a reasonable sentence while Blaze continued to play with his earlobe with her tongue. 'Cold shower, cold shower, cold shower…' Heero thought to himself. It didn't work. Finally she stopped her teasing for a moment.

"I can't…" Heero replied. "We need to know as much as we can. We need to find out who destroyed that cargo shuttle before Duo did."

"Oh, c'mon…" Blaze whispered to him. "Five minutes, and then you can get back to what you're doing. I know it's important…"

Heero turned his head slightly and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, do you have in mind?" Blaze smiled mischievously at him. She pulled him out of his seat by his tank top.

"I don't know, Heero… what do you think we can do in five minutes?" she asked.

"What do you _want_ to do in five minutes?" Heero replied, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Hmm… what do _you_ want to do in five minutes?" Blaze repeated back to him, her arms going comfortably around his neck.

"You know…" Heero said. "if we keep doing this, then we'll have no time left to do whatever it is we decide on."

Blaze grinned at him. "So we'll go for ten minutes."

"Your pushing it…" Heero scolded.

"Oh darn…" she whispered, and rolled her eyes.

Their conversation didn't get much farther, because then Heero kissed her. She pulled away slightly, and he moved forward to catch her lips again. She pulled away again, and Heero growled at her for teasing him. Then she nipped his bottom lip and kissed him the way he wanted her to.

With his hands on her hips, Heero walked Blaze backwards until they fell on the bed, causing Blaze to laugh. He silenced her with his mouth again, his hands starting to roam the sides of her body, and she nearly purred with satisfaction.

Then someone knocked on the door. They both groaned with aggravation, and Heero pushed himself off of Blaze. "Shit…" he muttered.

Blaze covered her face, and she wanted to scream with built up tension that had yet to be released. Damn it, impeccable timing. Absolutely impeccable. She had the urge to grab the gun that she knew was in the nightstand and threaten whoever it was that bothered them.

Heero opened the door, and naturally it was none other than…. Wufei??? Why in heaven's name was _Wufei_ bothering them?? Whatever the case the glare that Heero gave him gave Wufei a pretty good idea of what he interrupted. He chose (wisely) not to say anything about it.

"I recommend that you turn on the news." Wufei said.

With covered annoyance, Heero turned on the television while Blaze attempted to act natural. What was being shown on the news sobered them up real quick.

A poor quality video showed a rather familiar cargo shuttle blowing up in space. A voice spoke while the image was being shown. "This shocking footage was taken from one of the Earth's hidden satellites just hours ago. The satellite belongs to Russia, the latest in space technology. It is disguised to look as a piece of space debris, where it can go undetected."

"Oh, shit." Blaze muttered. She turned to Wufei. "Is Duo seeing this?"

"More closely than anyone, I'm sure…" Wufei replied. "He was there, and we're hoping he wasn't seen."

As if in an answer, the reporter continued with, "The cause of the explosion is unknown. All leftover materials fell and disintegrated in the Earth's atmosphere, leaving no evidence of a possible planned attack. However, suspicions are high, though evidence is low. This shuttle was property of ESUN, and was in the process of sending Gundanium Alloy to numerous BA factories to continue productions of the mysterious new mobile suit model. There is no evidence as of yet of there being another space craft of any sort near the shuttle when the event happened. All on the shuttle have been immediately declared dead, taking the lives of two pilots, one engineer, and two other passengers. We will continue updating as we receive more information."

"They think it was deliberate." Heero finally said.

"Because it was." Wufei replied. "But it wasn't us. We don't know of any forces coming together for the colonies. Sally's been keeping me updated as much as she can, but it has been much more difficult now that her and her men are not part of ESUN."

"They have no proof its deliberate." Blaze reasoned.

Heero stood up and crossed his arms. "That doesn't mean anything. People never follow rules when it comes to this sort of thing. They'll find a way to give someone the blame, and it'll end up being the colonies. The only good thing out of this is that they didn't spot Duo."

"I'd think of it more as lucky." Blaze replied. "His gundam must have been out of the peripheral vision of the satellite cam."

"Whoever these guys are," Wufei said, "They're going to get us and the colonies in trouble. Now Hampshire has a reason to attack. It won't take long for him to find someone to take the blame, and he'll make sure whoever it is will be located specifically on a colony."

"This whole thing will probably start sooner than everyone expected…" Blaze sighed.

"All the more reason to get you to your gundam ASAP." Heero replied. "You still have to try and pilot it."

"If it was mine before, then I'll probably get the hang of it pretty quickly." She replied.

"Good. Out of all of us, you need to be the most prepared." Heero said.

Finally Wufei spoke up. "How long will you two be gone?"

"However long it takes." Heero replied.

"Great." Wufei muttered.

Blaze stepped off the plane, and stared up at her new gundam with her mouth open like a fish out of water. It was gray and magenta, with shining metal plates on the shoulders, forearms, and around it's waist area like a sort of battle armor. It held a long shield, also shining. She had never seen it before from what she could remember, but at the same time… something prickled at the back of her mind. Something familiar, something… close and comfortable, something that felt like home. A small breath came out of her, like a sigh of release.

Heero enjoyed the look he saw on her face, and a corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. Finally he had to pull her away by her arm and lead her to where Dr. J. was standing.

Dr. J. had the same goofy old man grin that he always wore, as he saw Blaze for the first time in a long time. "I see you recognize what's yours…"

"I'm going to pilot _that???_" Blaze finally said. Her eyes never quite left her gundam.

"Most certainly. Your mobile suit is the greatest weapon of all." Dr. J. said. "Do you remember it?"

Blaze shook her head. "No. Not really. Gives me a good feeling, though."

"Always a good thing for a pilot to be close to his machine." Dr. J. said. He turned to Heero. "So, how has the lady been doing in her training? I trust you taught her well?"

"She's a handful…" Heero admitted. "But nothing I can't deal with." Blaze nudged him in his ribs.

"Likewise." She shot at him.

Dr. J. noticed this exchange with intrigue, but said nothing. He asked Blaze, "What will you name your gundam?"

"Name…? I don't know. What did I name it before?" She questioned.

"What it was before doesn't matter. You are different now, and so your gundam is different. Name it whatever you wish." Dr. J. replied.

"Phantom…" she said finally. "I'll name her Phantom."

"Very interesting." Dr. J. replied, playing with his mustache.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"That's what you named her last time." Dr. J. answered.

Blaze stared at him, completely shocked. Was he serious?? She didn't have time to ponder it, because then he turned around and led them out of the large hangar and into a hall.

"This is where you'll be staying." Dr. J. replied. "This is where I stay, also. Would you two like separate rooms, or share one?"

Neither Heero nor Blaze were ready for this kind of a question. True, they were together now… but Heero was a bit uncomfortable with it being out in the open, and Blaze could obviously tell that he didn't want Dr. J. to know. Such the shy one…

"Uh…" Heero started. However, he was unable to get it past that. Blaze had no idea what to say and kept her mouth shut. Still, it did not go unnoticed by Dr. J. that she was blushing. Even Heero seemed to have a little color to his cheeks.

"I see…" Dr. J. muttered, grinning again, more maniacally than before.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Blaze was finally able to force out.

Dr. J. didn't answer her. Instead he led them both to a single door, and opened it for them. "This'll be Blaze's room."

There was no arguing, no sounds of protest. Instead Blaze inconspicuously brushed her arm against Heero's. She hadn't been alone in a room for a very long time. Not since that time she was in a motel. It was so long ago. Things were simpler then, but harder at the same time. She sighed quietly and walked in, looking around the boring room.

"This was your room when you were here before." Dr. J. explained. "But after you had disappeared, I thought you had died. I had removed all of your belongings and put them in boxes. If you'd like to see them, the boxes are in the closet."

At that sudden tidbit of news, a strange wave of fear swept over her. Everything from the past was in this room. Did she want that?? The panic in her heart told her no.

"Heero, follow me." Dr. J. said. "Blaze, stay in here and unpack." He didn't explain why, and Blaze knew better than to ask at the moment, and so did Heero.

Dr. J. did not take Heero to his room. Instead he took him outside into the late afternoon air. The sun was setting behind the mountains, and the entire place was completely enclosed by wilderness.

Heero didn't say anything, because he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

Dr. J. sighed, and leaned on his walking stick. "I see that the two of you get along well." he finally said.

"Well enough…" Heero muttered, looking away.

Dr. J. wasn't one to try and beat around the bush. He got straight to the point. "I see that you care for her." Heero could feel Dr. J. looking at him, and looked away further. Dr. J. chuckled. "So it's true…"

Heero was prepared to take whatever lecture Dr. J. would give. Instead, Dr. J. took a completely different road. "I'm glad." Heero's jaw dropped, and he stared at his guardian. "I mean it, Heero." He took another long sigh, and finally started to explain things. "Dekim Barton ordered me to make you what you are. I never thought it right myself. No child should have their ability to love stripped from them. No human, for that matter." Dr. J. looked at Heero and smiled at him, for once showing the wear of his age. "Now you have your own reason to fight in this. Now you can fight to protect her."

Heero was stunned. "Dr. J…" he stuttered, at a loss for words.

"True, you are fighting to save the colonies and bring peace… that was what I was forced to teach you. But there's more beyond life than that. It brings much more passion to your spirit when it's something you can touch both with your heart and with your hand, Heero. I was never able to teach you this because it's something that life brings on its own. But now that it's here, you have to be careful with it."

"I will…" Heero replied. "I'll fight again so she won't have to. So no one will have to. I've been able to win twice. I can do it a third time. When this is all over, none of us will have to kill again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Aww… now isn't that sweet??? I'll pick this up a bit faster, okay? Question: should I end this fanfic here and make a part 2 so we don't have 50 chapters??? Of course that's if anyone's even reading this anymore. If people review I will be amazed! ^___^ And very happy.

So what's my excuse?? I've started college, still adjusting, and now I've started another fic, and for a long while I lost my inspiration for this one. But now it's back and I will try and work on it much more, okay? I've never tried balancing two fics at once before, so this'll be an adventure.

So I know you may hate me now, but please review anyway! Please…? Pretty pretty please??? I promise not to fall off of the face of the earth again!!! And I vow to finish this fanfic no matter HOW LONG IT TAKES ME!!! .!!!


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